Memory is one of the most important human abilities and surprisingly it is also for the world of technology and computing. Remember that when you turn on your computer and start using it, the RAM is working in a similar way Just as human memory apparently bridges the gap, so do other devices that start from the same internal structure.

It is impossible to achieve the level of human memory with computer components, but a group of scientists from the “École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne” (EPFL) in Switzerland has made a discovery that could be the key to getting a little closer. goal, at least in theory I tell you why.

This group of scientists recently discovered and by chance a chemical compound that can be used in electronics to remember physical stimuli over a period of time if used properly. Needless to say, this could have a huge impact on the world of memory used in electronic devices.

The discovery was made when Mohammad Samizadeh Nikoo was a PhD student investigation of phase transitions in vanadium oxide. He wanted to find out how long it takes for a material to go from one state to another, and found that when the material reaches 68 degrees Celsius, it undergoes a strong transition from an insulator to a metal. His tests involved applying an electric current to the material, which would heat it up and cause it to change state as it moved from one side to the other. Once the current passes, the material cools and returns to its original state.

After hundreds of measurements, the student found that a memory effect was created in the structure of this compound, and that when a second current pulse was applied to the material, it took a certain amount of time for the state to change, and this delay was directly related to your history of changes, ie. he presented a kind of memory related to the “treatment” he received.

According to Professor Elison Matioli, vanadium dioxide He seemed to be able to remember the first phase of the state transformation and predict the next, something simply impressive that is equivalent to a kind of memory that is directly related to the physical structure of this compound. In subsequent tests, they found that the material was able to remember the most recent stimulus it had received, and that this memory was retained for three hours, although unfortunately the team did not have all the necessary equipment to perform more advanced measurements.

This discovery converts vanadium dioxide into a compound with great potential in the world of electronicsbecause this memory capacity could have important implications in the sector, even if its application to any specific project is not considered at the moment, and it is understandable, since this discovery is still “in its infancy”.