Tech
New non-volatile memory platform built with covalent organic frameworks
Researchers at Institute of Science Tokyo have created a new material platform for non-volatile memories using covalent organic frameworks (COFs), which are crystalline solids with high thermal stability. The researchers successfully installed electric-field-responsive dipolar rotors into COFs.
Due to the unique structure of the COFs, the dipolar rotors can flip in response to an electric field without being hampered by a steric hindrance from the surroundings, and their orientation can be held at ambient temperature for a long time, which are necessary conditions for non-volatile memories. The study is published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.
Humans have made great efforts to record information by inventing recording media such as clay, paper, compact disks, and semiconductor memories. As the physical entity that holds information—such as indentations, characters, pits, or transistors—becomes smaller and its areal density becomes higher, the information is stored with higher density. In rewritable memories, the class called “non-volatile memories” are suitable for storing data for a long time, such as for days and years.
Recently, molecular technology has evolved. One class of molecular technology consists of molecules that exhibit mechanical motions. They are called “molecular machines” or “nanomachines.” If a mechanical entity rotates or flips around a chemical bond, which serves as an axis, the material class is particularly called “molecular rotors.”
Use of molecular rotors to store information may cause a breakthrough. This is because the size of molecules is a few orders of magnitude smaller than the sizes of pits in a compact disk and transistors in semiconductor memories, and organic molecules are inherently highly designable. Although applications using molecular machines have been explored extensively, the attempts to develop non-volatile memories have been scarce, mainly because the simultaneous satisfaction of the following three requisites has been so challenging.
- To control the orientation of molecular rotors with an electric field, the rotors have to have a dipole—a spatial displacement of a positive charge and a negative charge necessary to gain a force from the applied electric field.
- The rotors must not flip at ambient temperatures so that their orientations are held for a long period.
- There must be adequate spaces around the rotors so that they can flip without being hampered by the steric hindrance that may be caused by the tight packing of the molecules in the solid phase. Additionally, the substance has to be heat durable up to the temperatures current computational components ordinarily undergo, which is often up to 150°C.
New materials developed by the researchers of Institute of Science Tokyo have achieved these three requisites simultaneously, with very high thermal durability up to near 400°C. By demonstrating these novelties for the first time, the researchers have created a material foundation for molecular-machine-based non-volatile memories that potentially store information at higher density than current technologies.
The researchers selected covalent organic frameworks (COFs) as a platform for the aim. COFs are an emerging class of crystalline solids formed by periodically connecting two kinds of building block molecules by covalent bonds. For one building block, they chose a tetrahedral, four-handed molecule. For the other building block, they newly developed a flat, three-handed molecule in which three dipolar rotors (1,2-difluorophenyl, DFP) and three aryl groups are alternately positioned around the central benzene ring.
Previously, these aryl groups were shown to suppress the flip of the DFP rotors at ambient temperatures in a toluene solution, which satisfied requisites 1 and 2 above, but the high density of the molecular solid sterically hindered the flip of the rotors in the solid phase, which could not satisfy requisite 3.
Interestingly, the COFs they developed exhibited an unprecedented shape dimorphism, in which the COFs grew to a hexagonal prism shape or a membrane shape, depending on the solvent composition used for the growth. Furthermore, from X-ray structural analyses, these new COFs turned out to have an unprecedented sln topology, which has a low density inherently and has not been reported for COFs.
“Due to the substantially low density of about 0.2 g/cm3 caused by the unique sln topology possessed by the COFs, the dipole rotors incorporated into the periodic network constituting the COFs have adequate spaces around them, allowing them to flip without suffering from the steric hindrance from their surroundings.
“This is a breakthrough, because our COFs are a rare solid in which dipolar rotors can flip when they are brought to elevated temperatures above 200°C or undergo sufficiently strong electric fields, but their orientations can be held for a long time at ambient temperatures. These uniquenesses have been realized by our careful selection of the building block molecules to create the COFs for this aim,” says Professor Yoichi Murakami, the leader of this project.
Additionally, Murakami pointed out the significance of the work also exists in the extension of the diversity of COFs by their discoveries of sln topology and shape dimorphism, both of which were unknown for COFs previously.
These COF-based solids may be a new platform for storing information with further higher density after proper scale-up and device demonstration are made subsequently.
More information:
Xiaohan Wang et al, sln-Topological Covalent Organic Frameworks with Shape Dimorphism and Dipolar Rotors, Journal of the American Chemical Society (2025). DOI: 10.1021/jacs.5c10010
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A national housing shortage is straining finances and communities across the United States. In Massachusetts, at least 222,000 homes will have to be built in the next 10 years to meet the population’s needs. At the same time, there are numerous challenges in traditional construction. There’s a shortage of skilled construction workers. Most projects involve multiple contractors and subcontractors, adding complexity and lag time. And the construction process, as well as the buildings themselves, can be a major source of emissions that contribute to climate change.
Reframe Systems, co-founded by Vikas Enti SM ’20, uses robotics, software, and high-performance materials to address these problems. Founded in 2022, the company deploys microfactories that bring housing fabrication and production closer to the regions where the homes are needed. The first homes designed and manufactured in Reframe’s first microfactory have been fully built in Arlington and Somerville, Massachusetts.
Enti’s experiences in MIT System Design and Management (SDM) shaped the company from its start. “Learning how to navigate the system and finding the optimal value for each stakeholder has been a key part of the business strategy,” he says, “and that’s rooted in what I learned at SDM.”
Better tools for system-level problems
Enti applied to SDM’s master of science in engineering and management while he was working at Kiva Systems, overseeing its acquisition by Amazon and transformation into Amazon Robotics. He found that the SDM program’s fundamentals of systems engineering, system architecture, and project management provided him with the tools he needed to address system-level problems in his work.
While he was at MIT, Enti also served as an associate director for the MIT $100K Entrepreneurship Competition, which offers students and researchers mentorship, feedback, and potential funding for their startup ideas. He realized that “there isn’t a single formula for how businesses start, or how long it takes to get them started,” he says, which helped shape his plans to start his own business.
Enti took a leave of absence from MIT to oversee the expansion of Amazon Robotics in Europe. He returned and completed his degree in 2020, writing his thesis on developing technology that could mitigate falls for elderly people. This instinct to use his education for a good cause resurfaced when his daughters were born. He wanted his future business to address a real-world problem and have a social impact, while also reducing carbon emissions.
Growing housing, shrinking emissions
Enti concluded that housing, with immediate real-world impact and a significant share of global carbon emissions, was the right problem to work on. He reached out to his colleagues Aaron Small and Felipe Polido from Amazon Robotics to share his idea for advanced, low-cost factories that could be deployed quickly and close to where they were needed. The two joined him as co-founders.
Currently, the microfactory in Andover, Massachusetts, produces structural panels, with robotics completing wall and ceiling framing and people completing the rest of the work, including wiring and plumbing. Eventually, Reframe hopes to automate more of the building process through further use of robotics. The modular construction process allows for reduced waste and disruption on the eventual home site. And the finished homes are designed to be energy-efficient and ready for solar panel installation. The company is set to start work soon on a group of homes in Devens, Massachusetts.
In addition to the Andover location, Reframe is setting up in southern California to help rebuild homes that were destroyed in the area’s January 2025 wildfires. The company’s software-assisted design process and the adjustability of the microfactories allows them to meet local zoning and building codes and align with the local architectural aesthetic. This means that in Somerville, Reframe’s completed buildings look like modernized versions of the neighboring three-story buildings, known locally as “triple-deckers.” On the other side of the country, Reframe’s design offerings include Spanish-style and craftsman homes.
“Housing is a complex systems problem,” Enti says, explaining the impact SDM has had on his work at Reframe. The methods and tools taught in the integrated core class EM.412 (Foundations of System Design and Management) help him tackle systems-level problems and take the needs of multiple stakeholders into account. The Reframe team used technology roadmapping as they devised their overall business plan, inspired by the work of Olivier de Weck, associate head of the MIT Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. And lectures on project management from Bryan Moser, SDM’s academic director, remain relevant.
“Embracing the fact that this is a systems problem, and learning how to navigate the system and the stakeholders to make sure we’re finding the optimal value, has been a key part of the business strategy,” Enti says.
Reframe Systems is set to continue learning through iteration as they plan to expand their network of microfactories. The company remains committed to the core vision of sustainably meeting the country’s need for more housing. “I’m grateful we get to do this,” Enti says. “Once you strip away all the robotics, the advanced algorithms, and the factories, these are high-quality, healthy homes that families get to live in and grow.”
Framework, the company that makes laptops designed for optimal repairability, announced a new version of its main product, a 13-inch screen laptop. It’s called the Framework Laptop 13 Pro, and it has far better battery life, a touchscreen, a haptic touchpad, and is fitted with Intel processors.
At an event in San Francisco today, Framework CEO Nirav Patel showed off the company’s new tech, opening with a joke about making Framework AI—something the company is very much not doing. Framework’s whole thing, after all, is aiming to give users control over the physical tech they use.
“That industry is fighting for you to own nothing, and they own everything,” Patel said about the AI industry. “We’re fighting for a future where you can own everything and be free.”
Framework used the event to detail other updates coming to its 16-inch laptop. It also showed off previews of an official developer kit and a wireless keyboard for controlling your rig from the couch.
Framework 13 Pro
As the name implies, the 13 Pro is a step up from the company’s last version, the Framework 13. It’s also pricier, starting at $1,199 for a DIY Edition that requires assembling the computer yourself. Pre-built units start at $1,499 but can be upgraded with more features. Framework says it will start shipping the 13 Pro in June.
Framework’s signature move for its products is the ability to take the thing apart. The 13 Pro is made with that ethos in mind, so its parts can be easily swapped out, upgraded, or replaced. Four Thunderbolt 4 interfaces let you pick which ports (USB-C, HDMI, etc.) you want and then choose where to place them. Framework says it planned the laptop with cross-generation compatibility in mind, so current Framebook 13 laptop owners will be able to use new 13 Pro parts like the mainboard, display, and battery, and put them into their existing machine.
The big changes in the guts of the 13 Pro come from Framework’s shift away from using an AMD processor to Intel’s Core Ultra Series 3 processors, which Framework described in its press release as “just insanely efficient.” That efficiency, along with a bigger battery, translates to more than 20 hours of battery life while streaming 4K Netflix videos, at least that’s the claim. That’s almost 12 hours longer than the Framework 13.
Courtesy of Framework
Courtesy of Framework
OpenAI launched a new image generation AI model on Tuesday, dubbed ChatGPT Images 2.0. This model can generate more than one image from a single prompt, like an entire study booklet, as well as output text, including in non-English languages, like Chinese and Hindi. This release is available globally for ChatGPT and Codex users, with a more powerful version available for paying subscribers.
When any major AI company releases a new image model, it can revive interest and boost usage, especially if social media users adopt a meme-able trend, transforming images of themselves. Last year, Google’s launch of the Nano Banana model was a major moment for the company, especially when users started posting hyperrealistic figurines of themselves online. Earlier this year, ChatGPT Images made waves on social media as users shared AI-generated caricatures.
What’s Different?
Since the new model can tap into ChatGPT’s “reasoning” capabilities, Images 2.0 can search the internet for recent information and generate more than one image at a time. In essence, the bot can use additional steps to output more thorough generations from a single prompt. Images 2.0 also has a more recent knowledge cutoff date: December 2025.
This also means that outputs from the new model are more granular. For example, I generated an infographic with San Francisco’s weather forecast for the next day, as well as activities worth doing. The image ChatGPT generated included accurate weather details for the rainy day, along with accurate-looking drawings of the Ferry Building, Castro Theater, Painted Ladies houses, and Transamerica Pyramid.
Additionally, Images 2.0 is more customizable for users who want unique aspect ratios for image outputs. The new model can generate images, ranging from 3:1 wide to 1:3 tall, and users can adjust the image’s size as part of their prompt to the AI tool.
First Impressions
After a few hours of generating images with the new model, I was generally impressed with the text rendering capabilities, in English at least. Not that long ago, image outputs featuring text, from any of the major models, often included numerous malformed characters or words with errant extra letters. ChatGPT struggled to label images accurately two years prior, so the cleaner, more complex outputs from Images 2.0 are a sign of continued improvement. Google has also focused on improving image outputs featuring text in its recent iterations of Nano Banana.
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