When we think of computer memory , we either consider the electronic bit in all our devices or we fantasize about the future tense and consider the qubits , information stored in quantum processes . But now , there ’s a novel player in townsfolk : the “ check ” , or chemical bit .
researcher from the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Polish Academy of Science were able to encode a single moment of information using chemistry . As account inPhysical Chemistry Chemical Physics , the scientist used a Belousov - Zhabotinsky ( BZ ) reaction , an oscillatory reaction that begins afresh every time it terminate .
These chemical reaction are usually accompanied by a color change , due to the catalyst used . The team doped three droplets in a BZ response with the element ruthenium , which made the system photosensitive . This allowed the research worker to plough the reaction off at will and check it to produce the desired state . In this way , the researchers created the tab .
“ Our idea for the chemical storage of information was simple , " co - generator Professor Jerzy Gorecki said in astatement . " From our premature experiments , we knew that when Belousov - Zhabotinsky droplets are in striking , chemical movement can propagate from droplet to droplet . So we decided to look for the smallest droplet systems in which excitations could take place in several slipway , with at least two being stable . We could then assign one chronological succession of excitations a logic value of 0 , the other 1 , and for switch between them and impel a particular change of memory state , we could utilise light . ”
Three droplets were placed in a container full of oil just above optical fiber , which were used to master them . The squad picked three droplets so they would excite each other , with the chemical front propagate from one to the next . Now , the team had two intervals of times to concern about – the propagation of the chemical reaction from droplet 1 to 2 to 3 , and the response in each droplet going back to its original land .
The squad show that by carefully choose clock time and length of the illumination , they could verify that these two interval were the same and the system was constantly in a logic state ( ‘ 0 ’s and ‘ 1 ’s ) . And there ’s actually a commonwealth ‘ 2 ’ when the system is neither in 0 or 1 . good than a classical morsel .
Although this is an interesting development , hold on to those silicon chips . You wo n’t get a “ chemic ” electronic computer any clip soon . The chemical substance memory only stored information , with the recording and version still requiring forcible method .
