Nonvolatile Electrical Bistability Behaviors Observed in Au/Ag Nanoparticle-Embedded MOFs and Switching Mechanisms

Electrically bistable devices play an important role in the next generation of information materials. Plasmonic noble metal nanoparticles (Au and Ag NPs) with diameters <6 nm were embedded into 3-D Cd-based metal-organic framework (MOF) matrixes via the photoreduction method to generate Au (Ag) NPs@MOF composites. Electrical bistability measurements on the sandwiched ITO/NPs@ MOF/silver devices indicate that two switchable conductivity states with nonvolatile memory behaviors can be observed. The ITO/Au NP@2/Ag device with neutral matrix possesses the highest ON/OFF current ratio of 10(4), which can be attributed to its higher electron tunneling efficiency because of the better dispersity of Au NPs in the MOF matrix. A mechanism regarding the electric-field-induced charge-transfer process assisted by conformational change in the active layer was proposed.