A domestic research team has developed a polymer material that dissolves in water and disappears on its own. Using this material to create memory devices can store data for over 10,000 seconds. This is expected to help solve the waste problems caused by electronic devices such as smartwatches.
The Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST) announced on the 15th that a joint research team, including Dr. Cho Sang-ho of the Extreme Functional Materials Research Center and Dr. Joo Yong-ho of the Functional Composite Materials Research Center, has developed a polymer material that "completely decomposes within days when submerged in water." The polymer material decomposes naturally in water three days after its protective layer has disappeared. This research was published in the international academic journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition at the end of April.
Typically, materials that dissolve in water have poor information storage capabilities. The research team developed the polymer material by combining organic compounds and polycaprolactone. The organic compounds are functional molecules capable of storing information, while polycaprolactone is a biodegradable polymer. The new polymer material possesses excellent information storage capabilities while naturally decomposing in water.
Using the new polymer material to create memory devices allows for reliable data storage. It can distinguish between on and off states more than 1 million times. Even after more than 250 operations or over 3,000 bends, its performance does not degrade. Memory devices are necessary for storing, processing, and transmitting digital information by storing and reading electrical signals.
The research team explains that this polymer material can be used in implantable medical devices. By eliminating the need for surgery to remove it after insertion into the body, patient suffering can be reduced and medical costs lowered. Utilizing the polymer material as an eco-friendly information storage device can help reduce electronic waste. Dr. Cho Sang-ho noted that this is "the first case of integrating physical disappearance functionality into high-performance organic memory devices."
References
Angewandte Chemie International Edition (2025), DOI : https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.202422826