A new nonvolatile bistable polymer-nanoparticle memory device

In this letter, we demonstrate a new organic bistable nonvolatile memory device that is adopting polymer-chain-stabilized gold (Au) nanoparticles in a host polymer as a memory active layer. In this letter, the Au nanoparticles are well dispersed in the host polymer so as to enhance stability of memory devices. Current-voltage characteristics show that the device switches from an initial low-conductivity state to a high-conductivity state upon applying an external electric field at room temperature. This memory can be switched ON and OFF for over 150 times without an apparent performance degradation. In addition, the memory state can retain for over 36 000 s in air. This memory device is thus considered to be a suitable candidate for flexible electronics applications.