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A team of researchers at Tel Aviv University developed a method to harness frictionless sliding in a practical way for memory devices, which had never been done before.
By Pesach Benson, TPS
Israeli researchers announced on Sunday the first successful application of “superlubricity” to electronic components, a breakthrough expected to transform quantum computing, artificial intelligence, and other areas of technology.
Lubricity describes how well a substance, such as a lubricant, minimizes resistance to motion between objects and is essential in various mechanical and industrial applications to reduce wear and energy loss.
Superlubricity, on the other hand, is an extreme case of lubricity where friction between two surfaces is reduced to nearly zero.
This phenomenon occurs when atomic or molecular layers of materials are slightly misaligned, preventing their atoms from synchronizing and interacting in a way that generates friction.
Unlike regular lubrication, which relies on external substances like oil or grease, superlubricity arises from intrinsic material properties and specific structural arrangements.
Nature provides examples of nearly frictionless surfaces, a phenomenon known as superlubricity.
When two atomic layers of certain materials are slightly misaligned, their atoms fail to synchronize, causing friction to nearly disappear.
About two decades ago, scientists discovered that two rotated layers of graphite exhibited this effect, paving the way for memory technologies based on superlubricity.
A team of researchers at Tel Aviv University developed a method to harness frictionless sliding in a practical way for memory devices, which had never been done before. The team’s study was recently published in the peer-reviewed journal, Nature.
Their experiment involved layering ultrathin atomic sheets of boron and nitrogen, separated by a perforated graphene layer.
Within tiny, nanoscale holes in the graphene, the boron and nitrogen layers self-align, but between these islands, friction vanishes due to the unsynchronized graphene layer. This allows atoms within the aligned regions to move extremely efficiently, leading to much faster and more energy-efficient data operations.
“In our lab,” explained Professor Moshe Ben Shalom, one of the research leaders, “we construct layered materials where even the tiniest atomic displacement causes electrons to move between layers. The result: a memory device just two atoms thick—the thinnest possible. Our measurements show that the efficiency of this new memory technology is significantly higher than existing technologies, with zero wear and tear.”
Measurements showed that this memory technology is significantly more efficient than existing technologies, with no wear and tear.
The memory arrays also exhibit a unique effect: atomic motion in one area influences neighboring areas, leading to self-organized memory states.
Said Ben Shalom, “Beyond this, the new memory arrays reveal an intriguing effect: when the tiny islands are close to one another, atomic motion in one island influences neighboring islands. In other words, the system can self-organize into coupled memory states, a phenomenon that could lead to groundbreaking advancements in computing, including artificial intelligence and neuromorphic architectures,” referring to computing that mimics brain function.
The development of ultrafast, low-power memory arrays — just two atoms thick — reduces energy consumption while improving performance and offering broad applications.
In artificial intelligence and neuromorphic computing, self-organizing memory islands could lead to brain-like processing, increasing efficiency and adaptability.
The technology may play a role in quantum computing and edge computing, improving real-time data processing in autonomous systems and “Internet of Things” devices.
Wearable and flexible electronics could also benefit, integrating these ultrathin components into smart textiles and compact devices.
Additionally, its application in AI-driven medical analysis could enhance diagnostics, imaging, and patient monitoring, advancing healthcare technology.
For data centers, the technology also opens the door to lower operational costs, improved sustainability, and enhanced reliability for cloud computing, AI, and large-scale data processing applications.
The researchers are working on commercializing this innovation through SlideTro LTD, a company founded to develop this technology in collaboration with Ramot, Tel Aviv University’s technology transfer company.
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