Research Update: Ionotronics for long-term data storage devices

Data storage materials suffer from limited lifetime. Thus, there is a necessity for new data storage systems for archiving purposes. Systems based on chemical reactions such as the oxidation of corrosion-resistant metals are attractive candidates because they offer in principle very long-term stability. We have therefore investigated oxidation kinetics of Cr, Al, Ti, V, Zn, Ni, and Co. Here we present the results and discuss in detail fundamental issues of thin film oxidation, the limits of diffusion controlled oxidation, and possible ways to increase the oxidation rate constants. Co showed the highest oxidation rate constant (kp = 2.5 × 10−9 cm2/s at 540 °C) and is therefore considered as a promising candidate for data archiving.