Digital Memory Versatility of Fully π-Conjugated Donor–Acceptor Hybrid Polymers

The fully π-conjugated donor-acceptor hybrid polymers Fl-TPA, Fl-TPA-TCNE, and Fl-TPA-TCNQ, which are composed of fluorene (Fl), triphenylamine (TPA), dimethylphenylamine, alkyne, alkyne-tetracyanoethylene (TCNE) adduct, and alkyne-7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ) adduct, were synthesized. These polymers are completely amorphous in the solid film state and thermally stable up to 291-409 °C. Their molecular orbital levels and band gaps vary with their compositions. The TCNE and TCNQ units, despite their electron-acceptor characteristics, were found to enhance the π-conjugation lengths of Fl-TPA-TCNE and Fl-TPA-TCNQ (i.e., to produce red shifts in their absorption spectra and significant reductions in their band gaps). These changes are reflected in the electrical digital memory behavior of the polymers. Moreover, the TCNE and TCNQ units were found to diversify the digital memory modes and to widen the active polymer layer thickness window. In devices with aluminum top and bottom electrodes, the Fl-TPA polymer exhibits stable unipolar permanent memory behavior with high reliability. The Fl-TPA-TCNE and Fl-TPA-TCNQ devices exhibit stable unipolar permanent memory behavior as well as dynamic random access memory behavior with excellent reliability. These polymer devices were found to operate by either hole injection or hole injection along with electron injection, depending on the polymer composition. Overall, this study demonstrated that the incorporation of π-conjugated cyano moieties, which control both the π-conjugation length and electron-accepting power, is a sound approach for the design and synthesis of high-performance digital memory polymers. The TCNE and TCNQ polymers synthesized in this study are highly suitable active materials for the low-cost mass production of high-performance, polarity-free, programmable, volatile, and permanent memory devices that can be operated with very low power consumption, high ON/OFF current ratios, and high reliability.