Researchers Create Graphite Memory 10 Atoms Thick

CWmike writes "Researchers at Rice University have demonstrated a new data storage medium made out of a layer of graphite only 10 atoms thick. The technology could potentially provide many times the capacity of current flash memory and withstand temperatures of 200 degrees Celsius and radiation that would make solid-state disk memory disintegrate. 'Though we grow it from the vapor phase, this material [graphene] is just like graphite in a pencil. You slide these right off the end of your pencil onto paper. If you were to place Scotch tape over it and pull up, you can sometimes pull up as small as one sheet of graphene. It is a little under 1 nanometer thick,' Professor James Tour said."

Space Exploration

[Szentigrade]

This could be a real boon to space exploration. Temperature extremes and radiation are two of the most common problems that must be dealt with when designing exploratory vehicles. This could simplify things greatly.

Re:Who needs new graphite memory?

[Anonymous Coward]

You know, pencils make pretty good r/w memory, too, although the number of r/w cycles is limited.

Your comment is clearly funny, but I wonder how these last compared to other forms of graphite.

The article doesn't seem to mention anything about this memory's reliability or wear -- even theoretical stuff would be fine considering that the technology is relatively new.

Re:Who needs new graphite memory?

[Anonymous Coward]

You know, pencils make pretty good r/w memory, too, although the number of r/w cycles is limited.

Please explain to me how my pencil can do the read part of r/w memory.

Re:10 Atoms thick?

[Anonymous Coward]

Thank you, that makes much more sense. I think I've got it now. Let me try explaining it with a holiday metaphore:

What they have created is, say, like a cookie. Each of these little cookies are 5 nanometeres in diameter. It's important to know that, because it lets us know how many cookies we can fit on our cookie pan. Each of these cookies are about 1nm tall. This is important because it affects how many of these cookie trays we could stack on top of each other in the oven.

I was having a problem conceptualizing exactly what we were talking about until you described it as you did.