University of Arkansas physicists have discovered a new phase in nanodisks and nanorods that may enable researchers to increase memory storage density.

The researchers studied ferroelectric materials at the nanometer scale. They found that the dipoles in nanomaterials form a new state when the temperature is lowered. Instead of polarization, the new phase creates a toroid moment, which rotates in a circular fashion like a vortex or a tornado. These moments can rotate in one direction or another, forming a bi-stable state that is capable of storing information, like polarization.

However, the toroid moment provides a different kind of order. Unlike polarization, the toroid moment can exist in nanoparticles, which allows storage of one bit of information in a single particle, increasing memory density.

University of Arkansas Fayetteville news release