World's smallest QR code created by scientists to store future data

VIENNA: Scientists have developed a microscopic QR code smaller than most bacteria, providing an innovative method for data storage. A team from the Vienna University of Technology used beams of charged particles to engrave this functioning QR code onto a special type of ceramic, allowing it to be stored and read for centuries.

Measuring just 1.98 square micrometers, the achievement has been officially confirmed by Guinness World Records. The QR code, which leads to the university’s website, is so small that it is impossible to view using visible light, meaning it can only be viewed under an electron microscope.

“The structure we have created here is so fine that it cannot be seen with optical microscopes at all,” said Professor Paul Mayrhofer from the university’s Institute of Materials Science and Technology. “But that is not even the truly remarkable part. We have created a tiny, but stable and repeatedly readable QR code.”

A significant breakthrough has been achieved using thin ceramic films, commonly employed to coat high-performance cutting tools. This innovative approach allows the material to maintain the QR code pattern even in extreme conditions, despite its small size.

According to the scientists, the engraving of the QR code on the ceramic can last for hundreds of years longer than current magnetic and electronic storage devices.

“We live in the information age, yet we store our knowledge in media that are astonishingly short-lived,” said Alexander Kirnbauer, a senior scientist at the university.

He mentioned that the team is adopting a method reminiscent of ancient cultures by inscribing information into durable, inert materials that can endure over time and remain fully accessible to future generations. The use of ceramic ensures that no power or maintenance is needed to preserve the stored information.

If this technology is scaled up, it could potentially hold more than two terabytes of data within the space of a single A4 sheet of paper.

The researchers now plan to explore whether different data storage techniques would work using this method. They aim to use other materials, increase writing speeds, and develop scalable manufacturing processes for industrial applications.