Storage of information using mixtures of molecules
Inventors
Whitesides, George M. • Cafferty, Brian J. • Ten, Alexei S. • Fink, Michael J. • Preston, Daniel J. • Mrksich, Milan M. • Nagarkar, Amit A.
Assignees
Northwestern University • Harvard University
Publication Number
US-12288584-B2
Publication Date
2025-04-29
Expiration Date
2039-09-27
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Abstract
A machine-readable medium and methods of reading and writing same are disclosed. The machine-readable medium comprises a substrate having an array of addressable locations thereon, each addressable location adapted to be physically associated with a collection of non-polymeric molecules. The molecules in each collection are selected from a set of unambiguously identifiable molecules, each molecule uniquely associated with a predetermined position in a numerical value, wherein the presence of the molecule in the collection indicates a predetermined digit at the associated position and the absence of said molecule in the collection indicates a zero at said associated position.
Core Innovation
The invention provides a machine-readable medium and associated methods for reading and writing information using collections of unambiguously identifiable molecules immobilized at addressable locations on a substrate. Each molecular species in a collection corresponds uniquely to a predetermined position in a numerical value. The method allows information to be stored based on the presence or absence of particular molecules within a mixture at a given addressable location, so that the presence signifies a specific digit at a given position and absence signifies a zero at that position. Both non-polymeric molecules and sequence-independent polymers are described as suitable for these collections.
The problem addressed is the need for improved information storage methods that reduce energy consumption, increase the robustness of stored information over long timescales, and enhance resistance to data corruption or hacking compared to conventional electronic, magnetic, and optical storage media. Current media have limitations in energy requirements, degradation rates, risk of hacking, and long-term viability, motivating the search for alternative storage strategies such as molecular information storage.
The invention also covers methods for encoding and decoding data. For writing, information such as bit values or digits are mapped one-to-one with identifiable molecules, and mixtures corresponding to the data are immobilized at specific substrate sites. For reading, the presence or absence of each molecule in a collection at an addressable location is detected, and the original value is recovered accordingly. Identification methods can rely on properties such as mass-to-charge ratio or fluorescence emission, accommodating both small molecules and entities like quantum dots. The system is demonstrated with encoding schemes for text and images as well as readout using mass spectrometry or multi-channel fluorescence detectors.
Claims Coverage
The patent claims cover two primary inventive features relating to molecular data storage: (1) a machine-readable medium for storing information using presence/absence of non-polymeric molecules at addressable substrate locations, and (2) the specific association and immobilization of these molecules linked to the substrate at those locations.
Machine-readable medium using collections of non-polymeric molecules associated with numerical values
A substrate is provided with an array of addressable locations. Each addressable location is physically associated with a collection of non-polymeric molecules. The molecules in each collection are selected from a set of unambiguously identifiable molecules, with each molecule uniquely mapped to a predetermined position in a numerical value. The presence of the molecule in the collection at a given location indicates a predetermined digit at that position, and the absence indicates a zero at that position. The collection encodes the value according to the specific association of molecules present. Each collection is linked to the substrate at the respective addressable location.
Linkage of identifiable molecules to substrate at addressable location
Each molecule in the collection at an addressable location is physically linked to the substrate at that addressable location, implementing the information encoding method by forming a stable association (such as covalent bonds, including amide bonds in some embodiments) that secures the molecules to the substrate for robust, machine-readable storage.
In summary, the claims delineate a robust molecular data storage medium comprising addressable substrate locations, each bearing linked, uniquely identifiable non-polymeric molecules that encode information via their presence or absence.
Stated Advantages
Provides archival, long-term, tamper-resilient storage of information that requires no or low energy to maintain.
Enables write-once-read-many (WORM) storage of information over 100 years with power-free operation, surpassing the capabilities of electronic, magnetic, or optical media.
Achieves high recovery rates of stored information and rapid writing/reading rates for archival and product labeling purposes.
Circumvents time-consuming synthesis associated with sequence-dependent polymeric storage (such as DNA), resulting in much faster writing times.
Offers robustness against hacking via electrical, magnetic, or optical means, as information requires physical and chemical access to the molecules for reading or rewriting.
Allows for high density and stability of information storage, supporting both text and images using a small, reusable set of molecules.
Is suitable for use in product authentication, barcoding, and supply chain verification owing to fast read/write and low material cost.
Documented Applications
Archival storage of vast amounts of data requiring high stability and longevity.
Product labeling, authentication, and barcoding for protection against fraud, counterfeiting, and theft.
Stable, long-term digital archives with low or no energy consumption.
Storing both text and images in a molecular format for data preservation.
Use in verification of products along the international supply chain.
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