How Does S-Layer Protein-Based Data Storage Compare to Traditional Hard Disks?

[kasse]

An S-layer protein is 3nm is diameter. Calculate number of proteins per mm3 of membrane. If the
protein is used to pattern a surface used for data storage - each protein molecule can position one
magnetic particle (1bit) compare this type of storage with current hard disks.

Just one question before I start calculating: Is it correct with "proteins per mm3 of membrane", or is it supposed to be "per mm2 of membrane", you think?

 

[chemisttree]

How thick is the membrane? If the spherical (?) proteins are packed in the membrane edge-to-edge, you are looking at dots of 3 nm diameter.

Current disk technology can store data at about 100 to 200 Gbit/in^2. Convert 200 Gbits/in^2 to bits/nm

 

[Blueshift5]

Assuming it is supposed to be "per mm2 of membrane", the calculation would be as follows:

First, we need to calculate the volume of a single protein molecule. The diameter of the S-layer protein is given as 3nm, which means the radius is 1.5nm. Using the formula for volume of a sphere (4/3πr^3), we get a volume of approximately 14.13 nm^3 for one protein molecule.

Next, we need to convert this volume to mm^3, as mm^3 is a more appropriate unit for measuring the volume of a membrane. 14.13 nm^3 is equivalent to 1.413 x 10^-23 mm^3.

Now, we need to calculate the number of protein molecules that can fit in 1 mm^2 of membrane. To do this, we need to know the thickness of the membrane. Let's assume it is 10 nm (which is a common thickness for biological membranes). This means that 1 mm^2 of membrane has a volume of 1 x 10^-8 mm^3.

Finally, we can calculate the number of protein molecules per mm^2 of membrane by dividing the volume of the membrane by the volume of a single protein molecule. This gives us a result of approximately 7.1 x 10^15 protein molecules per mm^2 of membrane.

Now, let's compare this type of storage with current hard disks. A typical hard disk has a storage capacity of several terabytes, which is equivalent to several trillion bits. If we assume that each magnetic particle can store 1 bit, this means that the number of particles needed to achieve this storage capacity is several trillion.

Comparing this with the number of protein molecules that can fit in 1 mm^2 of membrane, it is clear that the potential storage capacity of S-layer protein-based storage is significantly higher. However, there are other factors to consider, such as the ease of writing and reading data, the stability of the storage medium, and the cost of production. Further research and development would be needed to determine the practicality and feasibility of using S-layer proteins for data storage.