Femtosecond x-ray diffraction reveals a liquid–liquid phase transition in phase-change materials

Structural switch for fast switching Phase-change materials are important for computer memory. They can quickly switch from glassy to crystalline using a thermal pulse and then lock in that structure for a long time at lower temperature. Zalden et al. probed the underlying atomic structure of two phase-change materials during this switching using ultrafast x-rays and simulations (see the Perspective by Rao et al. ). A liquid-liquid phase transition in both materials allowed fast switching at high temperatures. The lower-temperature glass locks in the structure, allowing for long-term memory storage. Science , this issue p. 1062 ; see also p. 1032