New squishy material could make future devices faster and more energy efficient

A squishy material made of thin layers might help make your future devices faster and more energy efficient. This new hybrid material, known as β-ZnTe(en)₀.₅, changes its internal structure in surprising ways when squeezed under pressure. That shift could one day help create a better kind of computer memory—one that doesn’t need constant power to hold information.

Scientists from Washington State University recently studied how this layered material responds to pressure. What they discovered could push the limits of how we store and process data.

The material at the heart of this study combines an inorganic compound, zinc telluride, with an organic molecule called ethylenediamine. Together, they form a repeating sandwich-like structure. Think of stiff ceramic layers stacked with softer plastic ones. That softness is key. When pressure is applied, the organic layers collapse more easily, allowing the material to change shape in a controlled and useful way.

This structure—technically known as a hybrid organic-inorganic semiconductor—gives β-ZnTe(en)₀.₅ some unique properties. It has high crystallinity, meaning its atoms are very neatly arranged. It’s also stable and shows tunable optical behavior, meaning scientists can adjust how it responds to light.

What makes this material even more interesting is how it behaves under pressure. When researchers used specialized tools to squeeze it, they saw dramatic shifts in structure. These changes could unlock new ways to store digital information.

To see what happened under pressure, the team used two main tools: a diamond anvil cell and an advanced X-ray diffraction system. The diamond anvil cell can press materials with forces up to hundreds of thousands of times Earth’s atmosphere. The X-ray system, added to their lab in 2022 thanks to a $1 million grant, let them see atomic changes in real-time.

“Being able to do these high-pressure experiments on campus gave us the flexibility to really dig into what was happening,” said Matt McCluskey, a physics professor and co-author of the study. “We discovered that the material didn’t just compress—it actually changed its internal structure in a big way.”

Using these tools, the team squeezed the material and recorded changes in its structure using X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results showed two distinct phase transitions at 2.1 and 3.3 gigapascals of pressure. At each of these points, the atoms rearranged themselves into a new, denser structure—like shifting puzzle pieces into a tighter fit. That’s important because each of these phases may have different electrical or optical properties. This ability to switch between forms at relatively low pressure makes the material a strong candidate for phase change memory.

Phase change memory is a special kind of data storage that doesn’t work like a regular USB drive or hard disk. Instead of using electric charges to store data, it relies on materials that can shift between solid forms with different structures.

When a phase change occurs, the material’s electrical resistance, optical absorption, or other key features change. Computers can use those changes to represent ones and zeros. Because the new form is stable even without power, this kind of memory can store data without needing a constant energy supply.

“Most materials like this need huge amounts of pressure to change structure, but this one started transforming at a tenth of the pressure we usually see in pure zinc telluride,” said Julie Miller, a physics PhD student and the study’s lead author. That means β-ZnTe(en)₀.₅ could offer a low-energy way to store data that lasts longer and works faster than traditional memory.

The material didn’t just change once under pressure. It responded differently depending on the direction of the force. Scientists call this kind of behavior anisotropic, meaning its properties vary with direction.

When researchers analyzed the shifts in XRD peaks, they found the layer stacking direction (known as the b-axis) compressed much more than the other directions. The a-axis shrank by 0.55% per gigapascal, but the b-axis shrank by 2.26% per gigapascal. That’s four times more strain in one direction.

This result surprised scientists because earlier computer models had predicted a more uniform response. The real-world experiment proved the material was much more sensitive in some directions than others. That could make it easier to fine-tune for specific uses. “Imagine layers of ceramic and plastic stacked over and over,” McCluskey explained. “When you apply pressure, the soft parts collapse more than the stiff ones.”

Scientists also used infrared spectroscopy to study how the pressure affected specific chemical bonds inside the material. They saw clear shifts in the vibrational modes of the CH₂ and NH₂ groups, signaling major structural changes at the atomic level. These sudden jumps matched the pressures where the phase transitions occurred, adding another layer of proof.

Phase change memory may be the first thing scientists think of when they see these changes, but it won’t be the last. Because the material also interacts with light, it could help build devices in photonics, a field where light carries information instead of electricity.

In its normal state, the material emits ultraviolet light. Researchers believe its glow might shift depending on which phase it's in. That could help design optical switches or memory for fiber-optic systems. Its layered nature and flexible behavior could also make it useful for optical computing or data communication. Devices that need to respond quickly to small changes in pressure or temperature might find β-ZnTe(en)₀.₅ especially useful.

One of the most exciting parts of this research is how it was done. In the past, scientists needed to travel to large national labs to do high-pressure experiments like this. Now, with the X-ray diffraction system installed at WSU’s Pullman campus, they can run cutting-edge tests right from their lab.

The system lets researchers watch atomic changes as they happen, which was key to catching the fast shifts in this study. That kind of real-time detail opens the door to deeper understanding and faster innovation. “We’re just beginning to understand what these hybrid materials can do,” said Miller. “The fact that we could observe these changes with equipment right here on campus makes it that much more exciting.”

The team’s next steps include testing how the material reacts to heat. By combining temperature and pressure, they hope to build a full map of how it behaves in different conditions. That knowledge could help design next-generation devices that are faster, smarter, and more efficient.

Research findings are available online in the journal AIP Advances.

Note: The article above provided above by The Brighter Side of News.

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