Electrical switching and memory phenomena observed in redox-gradient dendrimer sandwich devices

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that redox-gradient dendrimer sandwich devices exhibit reliable electrical switching and memory effects, with significant conductivity changes that are stable over days, indicating potential for solid-state information storage.

Contribution

It introduces a novel dendrimer-based device structure with redox-gradient layers that enable reproducible electrical switching and stable memory effects.

Findings

Electrical switching occurs at a threshold bias voltage.

Conductivity increases over three orders of magnitude after switching.

Memory effects remain stable for several days in ambient conditions.

Abstract

We report on the fabrication of dendrimer sandwich devices with electrical switching and memory properties. The storage media is consisted of a redox-gradient dendrimer layer sandwiched in organic barrier thin films. The dendrimer layer acts as potential well where redox-state changes and consequent electrical transitions of the embedded dendrimer molecules are expected to be effectively triggered and retained, respectively. Experimental results indicated that electrical switching could be reproducibly obtained in such dendrimer sandwiches upon a threshold bias voltage. After switching, the device conductivity could be increased more than three orders of magnitude, which can keep stable for several days in ambient conditions. Our work demonstrates the possibility of using solid-state redox-gradient dendrimer films as hopeful information storage media.