Address: | Postfach 3640, D - 76021 Karlsruhe |
Country: | Germany |
Website: |
Organisation type: | Commercial |
Storage activities: | R&D into molecule-based storage systems |
Profile: | The research activity of the Functional Molecular Nanostructures Group at the Institute of Nanotechnology in Karlsruhe is oriented towards the design of functional nanosystems by state-of-the-art organic/inorganic synthesis and supramolecular self-assembly techniques. The vision of the research group is to develop new concepts and advance research tools to master the design and the characterisation of molecular structures as well as their implementation and integration within the nanometer-regime. Towards this end, the group is highly integrated into several interdisciplinary collaborations and is directing several interdisciplinary European network projects. Our investigations demonstrate that molecular spin-transition compounds can be fashioned into robust micro- and nanometer-scale structures for data-storage devices. We have shown that an Fe(II) phenanthroline ST compound can be used to form well-ordered and durable nanoscale patterns and that the material retains its spin-flipping quality after processing. Demonstrating the Fe(II) compound’s usefulness as a nanoscale “ink,” we employed lithographic stamping methods to draw a replica of the data-storage pattern encoded on a compact disc, which consists of nanometer-thick dots and lines. On the basis of microscopy, X-ray measurements, and Raman spectroscopy, we have found that – after patterning – the material is highly crystalline and can be induced to switch between magnetic states by altering the temperature. |
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Tel: | +49 7247 82-6781 |
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