Embedding Azobenzol-Decorated Tetraphenylethylene into the Polymer Matrix to Implement a Ternary Memory Device with High Working Temperature/Humidity

• Published in: ACS applied materials & interfaces 2021-10, Vol.13 (42), p.50350-50357
• Main Authors: Zhou, Pan-Ke, Zong, Lu-Lu, Song, Kai-Yue, Yang, Zhen-Cong, Li, Hao-Hong, Chen, Zhi-Rong
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applications of Polymer, Composite, and Coating Materials
• ISSN: 1944-8244; 1944-8252
• DOI: 10.1021/acsami.1c14686

The development of new high-density memories that can work in harsh environments such as high temperature and humidity will be significant for some special occasions such as oil and geothermal industries. Herein, a facial strategy for implementing a ternary memory device with high working temperature/humidity was executed. In detail, an asymmetric aggregation-induced-emission active molecule (azobenzol-decorated tetraphenylethylene, i.e., TPE-Azo) was embedded into flexible poly­(ethylene-alt-maleic anhydride) (PEM) to prepare a TPE-Azo@PEM composite, which served as an active layer to fabricate the FTO/TPE-Azo@PEM/Ag device. This device can demonstrate excellent ternary memory performances with a current ratio of 1:104.2:101.6 for “OFF”, “ON1”, and “ON2” states. Specially, it can exhibit good environmental endurance at high working temperature (350 °C) and humidity (RH = 90%). The ternary memory mechanism can be explained as the combination of aggregation-induced current/conductance and conformational change-induced charge transfer in the TPE-Azo molecule, which was verified by Kelvin probe force microscopy, UV–vis spectra, X-ray diffraction, and single-crystal structural analysis. This strategy can be used as a universal method for the construction of high-density multilevel memristors with good environmental tolerance.