Improving the ON/OFF Ratio and Reversibility of Recording by Rational Structural Arrangement of Donor–Acceptor Molecules

Abstract

Organic molecules with donor–acceptor (D–A) structure are an important type of material for nanoelectronics and molecular electronics. The influence of the electron donor and acceptor units on the electrical function of materials is a worthy topic for the development of high‐performance data storage. In this work, the effect of different D–A structures (namely D–Π–A–Π–D and A–Π–D–Π–A) on the electronic switching properties of triphenylamine‐based molecules is investigated. Devices based on D–Π–A–Π–D molecules exhibit excellent write–read–erase characteristics with a high ON/OFF ratio of up to 106, while that based on A–Π–D–Π–A molecules exhibit irreversible switching behavior with an ON/OFF ratio of about (3.2 × 101)–(1 × 103). Moreover, long retention time of the high conductance state and low threshold voltage are observed for the D–A switching materials. Accordingly, stable and reliable nanoscale data storage is achieved on the thin films of the D–A molecules by scanning tunneling microscopy. The influence of the arrangement of the D and A within the molecular backbone disclosed in this study will be of significance for improving the electronic switching properties (ON/OFF current ratio and reversibility) of new molecular systems, so as to achieve more efficient data storage through appropriate design strategies.

Solvents Effects on Film Morphologies and Memory Behavior of a Perylenediimide‐Containing Pendent Polymer

“…As presented in Figure a, a strong shoulder absorption band was observed for PDI between λ =490 and 525 nm, arising from the π–π* transitions of the perylene moieties . For PNBPDI in the film state, the redshift scale increased gradually with increasing MeOH content, which indicated the formation of more ordered molecular stacking in the film state, namely, molecular stacking improved with increasing MeOH content . Additionally, the absorption bands of PNBPDI in the film state were all broader than those in solution, which indicated the formation of molecular aggregate on the ITO‐coated substrate.…”

“…[7,8] For PNBPDIi nt he film state, the redshift scale increased gradually with increasing MeOH content, which indicated the formation of more ordered molecular stacking in the film state, namely,m olecular stacking improved with increasing MeOH content. [10,11] Additionally,t he absorption bands of PNBPDIi nt he film state were all broader than those in solution, which indicated the formation of molecular aggregate on the ITO-coated substrate. The optical band-gapsw ere estimated to be 2.13, 2.11, 2.08, 2.06, and 2.03 eV for mixtures of o-DCB and MeOH (10:0, 10:1, 10:2, 10:3, 10:4, respectively,v /v) from the onset of optical absorbance.…”

Recent progress in organic resistance memory with small molecules and inorganic–organic hybrid polymers as active elements

“…[27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38] It is in high desire to expand the application of organic materials in new memory technology, namely organic resistance memory (ORM), which is expected to potentially own non-volatile ability, high switching speed, high data storage density and high cycling endurance. [27][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38] It is in high desire to expand the application of organic materials in new memory technology, namely organic resistance memory (ORM), which is expected to potentially own non-volatile ability, high switching speed, high data storage density and high cycling endurance.…”

“…Figure 1 shows the representative schematic graph and the active layer is clamped between two electrodes. 30,36,55 Polymers, especially for inorganic-organic hybrid polymers, are expected to combine the advantages of both inorganic and organic materials. Current-voltage (I-V) curves are generally used to characterize the memory behaviors.…”

Advancements in organic nonvolatile memory devices

“…Hitherto, almost all research on D-A systems has focused on the exploration of different D-A complexes with better electrical properties for data storage. Recently, Ma et al [61] investigated the influence of the electron donor and acceptor units on the electrical function of materials by synthesizing a new series of D-A molecules with similar electron donor and acceptor units. This work is an important step towards rational design of new organic D-A molecules with suitable structures for high-performance data storage.…”