Researchers at Arizona State University’s Center for Applied Nanoionics said the new technology is inexpensive and compatible with nearly any devices currently on the market.

"In using readily available materials, we've provided a way for this memory to be made at essentially zero extra cost, because the materials you need are already used in the chips -- all you have to do is mix them in a slightly different way," said Michael Kozicki, the center's director.

The researchers overcame the limitations of conventional electronics by using nanoionics -- a technique for moving tiny bits of matter around on a chip. Instead of moving electrons among ions, as in traditional electronics, nanoionics moves the ions themselves.

"We've actually been able to move something the size of a virus between electrodes to switch them from a high resistance to a low resistance, which is great for memory," Kozicki said.

The study, conducted in collaboration with the Julich Research Center in Germany, appears in the October issue of the journal IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices.