Toward a new generation of data storage materials

[Press Release] - Published on July 22, 2024 in Press Room

In light of the explosive growth in data consumption, the University of Montpellier recognizes the need to revolutionize data storage through the use of new molecular ferroelectric materials. These materials can store information in electrical form, offering a faster and more energy-efficient alternative to current technologies. This is what has been achieved with the creation and development of the MISTRAL project, bringing together a multidisciplinary team of researchers from the Charles Gerhardt Institute of Montpellier (ICGM), the Institute of Condensed Matter Chemistry of Bordeaux (ICMB), the Materials, Microelectronics, Acoustics, and Nanotechnologies Laboratory (GREMAN, Tours), and the Catholic University of Louvain (Belgium) to develop innovative materials. Funded by the French National Research Agency (ANR) as part of the PEPR DIADEM program (Integrated Devices for Accelerating the Deployment of Emerging Materials), this project, with a budget of 800,000 euros, will be coordinated by the University of Montpellier.

Promising materials for addressing the challenge of data storage

The growing demand for data storage is putting current technologies to the test. Ferroelectric materials offer a promising solution, combining speed with low energy consumption. However, metal oxides—the most widely studied—often contain critical metals, raising concerns about sustainability and supply. The MISTRAL project stands out for its approach based on molecular building blocks. This approach allows for the “design” of materials with optimized properties. Among other things, the project will use high-throughput synthesis to efficiently screen synthesis conditions, accelerating the discovery of new molecular ferroelectric materials with optimized properties.

The project will focus on purely organic molecular materials (metal-free) or those incorporating non-critical elements such as zinc, iron, magnesium, or calcium. Formed into thin films, these materials will be optimized to improve their future integration into devices.

Any new properties?

MISTRAL will also explore the coupling with other properties such as magnetism, paving the way for applications in multi-level data storage and spintronics (a recent field that exploits a magnetic and quantum property of the electron known as “spin”). The project will also develop characterization techniques specific to these molecular materials. These techniques will be complemented by theoretical calculations and an artificial intelligence approach to rationalize material properties and guide the synthesis of new systems. Furthermore, the concepts developed in the MISTRAL project can be extended to many other molecular-based magnetic and/or optical materials.

ANR Support for Cutting-Edge Research

The ANR funding under France 2030 as part of the PEPR DIADEM program underscores the importance and potential of the MISTRAL project. This support will enable researchers at the UM to conduct cutting-edge research and develop innovative materials that will contribute to France’s competitiveness in the field of materials. The PEPR DIADEM program is an exploratory program funded by France 2030 and led by the CNRS and the CEA.