'Nature has the solution': Researchers fuse DNA and silicon to build Holy Grail of memory storage

• Synthetic DNA enables precise nanoscale architecture for advanced memory devices
• The device operates using less than one-tenth of standard voltage levels
• Combining DNA and perovskite creates highly efficient conductive channels

A research team at Penn State has developed a new type of memory device that combines synthetic DNA with perovskite semiconductors to achieve high storage density using very little power.

The device, known as a memristor, can remember the direction of prior current flow even after its power source is turned off.

This ability to store and process data in the same location mimics how neurons function in the brain, potentially enabling more efficient data processing.

How DNA and perovskite work together in the device

The team applied silver nanoparticles to customized synthetic DNA sequences and integrated them with thin films of crystalline perovskite.

This process, called doping, made the DNA capable of conducting electricity while also orienting its units in a more streamlined fashion.

Unlike natural DNA, which behaves like long, entangled strands of wet spaghetti, short, rigid synthetic DNA fragments enable true architectural precision at the nanoscale.

"We can computationally determine exactly which sequences we need and how long they should be, and then we can rationally design them with synthetic DNA," said co-author Neela H. Yennawar.

The DNA and perovskite together developed bio-hybrid channels that funnel current flow through the device.

When the team applied less than 0.1 volt, compared to 120 volts from a standard US outlet, electrons reliably moved through the system.

The device performed the same memory functions as existing technologies but used only one-tenth of the power, making it far more suitable for energy-efficient electronics.

It also operated consistently at temperatures up to nearly 250 degrees Fahrenheit and remained stable at room temperature for more than six weeks.

With these results, it far exceeds the performance standards of current perovskite-based memory storage devices.

"Using just the DNA or just perovskite alone did not produce nearly as robust a result as the combination," said Kavya Keremane.

"It's this combination that enables a very high memory storage density that requires very little power."

DNA is nature's most efficient storage mechanism, capable of storing about 215 million GB of data per gram.

"Nature has the solution — we just have to find it and apply it," said researcher Bed Poudel.

"This work of integrating DNA into electronics to do amazing things gives a glimpse into what is possible."

Applying that capacity to electronics could enable more efficient data centers, faster data processing, and the ability to process far more complicated data.

The researchers have filed a patent application and plan to refine their approach while investigating other bio-inspired electronic applications.

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