1 4212 /en/todai-research/research-highlights/a-new-hope-for-ultra-high-density-memory/ /cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/columnar_slider_250_155.jpg /cms/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/columnar_slider_92_57.jpg Ferroelectrics are materials that reverse their electrical polarization when an electric field is applied and retain that polarization even when the electric field is removed. Such materials would be ideal for non-volatile memory, allowing the rewriting of information at high-speed and low voltage, and retaining information even when powered off. ©Takuzo Aida Schematic illustration of the response mechanism of the newly-developed ferroelectrical columnar liquid crystal to an applied electric field. The yellow arrow indicates the direction of the electric field. The column of umbrella-shaped liquid crystal molecules (colored blue) reverses orientation parallel to the column axis in accordance with the direction of the applied electric field, and the polarization of the column is als...Academic Information]]>