Some smart folks over in Japan have discovered a material that could be used to make a low-priced disc that boasts a data storage capacity of over a thousand times greater than your run-of-the-mill DVD. The magic behind it is a material that transforms from a black colour metal state that conducts electricity into a brown semiconductor when exposed to light. This material, which is a new crystal form of titanium oxide, is able to switch between the metal and semiconductor states at room temperature, offering the ability to offer the on-off function needed for data storage. The material was successfully created in particles measuring 5-20 nanometers in diameter, which makes the high storage capacity a possibility. Despite the increased storage capacity, the material’s market price is also much less than what is needed for rewritable Blu-ray discs and DVDs. There currently isn’t any time frame as to when such a disc would be manufactured and commercialized, but we hope it isn’t too far away, after all, who wouldn’t want the ability to cram all our data into one disc?
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