Japanese researchers have discovered a material that could be
used to make low-cost discs with a storage capacity that puts
existing storage media to shame. Described as a new crystal form
of titanium oxide, the material switches from a black-color
metal state that conducts electricity to a brown semiconductor
when exposed to light, according to Shin-ichi Ohkoshi of the
University of Tokyo. That transformation occurs at room
temperature and provides an on-off function for data storage.
Ohkoshi says the material is promising for next-generation
optical storage, and his team has successfully created the
material in particles measuring 5-to-20nm, the AFP reports. It's
said that the new disc could hold over 1,000 times more data
than a Blu-ray disc – or upwards of 25TB. Furthermore, titanium
oxide is substantially cheaper than the rare element germanium-
antimony-tellurium, which is used in Blu-ray discs and DVDs, and
it's already used in products ranging from face powder to white
paint. There's no telling when su