Researchers at two CNRS laboratories in Toulouse, the Laboratoire de Chimie de Coordination (LCC, the laboratory for chemistry and coordination) and the Laboratoire d'Analyse et d'Architecture des Systèmes (LAAS, system analysis and architecture laboratory) have designed just that. The Toulouse based scientists used a sequential assembly technique, which was recently patented by Azzedine Bousseksou (LCC) and Christophe Vieu's (LAAS) team, and an electronic lithography technique to accomplish the feat. This involved turning a spin transition material into nanometric rivets called DOTS.
The rivets have special features, i.e., they react to changes in temperature, magnetic field pressure or the chemical composition of the surrounding environment, and undergo a modification of their electronic properties (spin transition). Both electronic states, i.e., ON (high spin) and OFF (low spin) are stable at ambient temperature. The transition from one state to the other is reversible.
The results clear the way for the development of very high density computer memories and nanometric size chemical sensors. The fields of optics and information processing may also reap the benefits of this advance.
