Developing Biotemplated Data Storage

L1(0) cobalt platinum can be used to record data at approximately sixfold higher densities than it is possible to on existing hard disks. Currently, fabricating L1(0) CoPt requires high temperatures (approximate to 500 degrees C) and expensive equipment. One ecological alternative is to exploit biomolecules that template nanomaterials at ambient temperatures. Here, it is demonstrated that a dual affinity peptide (DAP) can be used to biotemplate L1(0) CoPt onto a surface at room temperature from an aqueous solution. One part of the peptide nucleates and controls the growth of CoPt nanoparticles from solution, and the other part binds to SiO2. A native silicon oxide surface is functionalized with a high loading of the DAP using microcontact printing. The DAP biotemplates a monolayer of uniformly sized and shaped nanoparticles when immobilized on the silicon surface. X-ray diffraction shows that the biotemplated nanoparticles have the L1(0) CoPt crystal structure, and magnetic measurements reveal stable, multiparticle zones of interaction, similar to those seen in perpendicular recording media. This is the first time that the L1(0) phase of CoPt has been formed without high temperature/vacuum treatment (e.g., annealing or sputtering) and offers a significant advancement toward developing environmentally friendly, biotemplated materials for use in data storage.