Semiconductor-Grafted Polymer-Embedded Reduced Graphene-Oxide Nanohybrid for Power-Efficient Nonvolatile Resistive Memory Applications

Hybrid material-based resistive random-access memories (ReRAM) have gained immense popularity as data storage devices owing to their high scalability, easy processability, and cost-effectiveness. Herein, we report the resistive switching (RS) performances of various nanohybrid materials, consisting of metal-sulfide (ZnS, CuS, and SnS)-grafted reduced graphene oxide (rGO), by embedding into a thin polymeric layer. An active layer with a sandwich electrode configuration (ITO/nanohybrid-PMMA composites/Al) is realized for electrical studies. Additionally, the RS phenomena are modulated through precisely varying the concentration of nanohybrid-polymer composite fillers. The electrical studies display the bipolar-resistive switching properties along with an extremely low VSET/VRESET of ∼−0.44 ± 0.10/+0.50 ± 0.10 V. Also, a very low write/erase power consumption (PSET/PRESET) of ∼1.02 × 10–5 / 1.18 × 10–5 Wcm–2 is obtained for the CuS-grafted rGO nanohybrid. Furthermore, a current ON/OFF (ION/IOFF) ratio of ∼103–104 is obtained for all the fabricated devices, which lowers the level of misreading in the nanohybrid devices. All the devices display excellent RS properties, especially low operating voltage, high reliability, and high persistency for optimum loading of nanofillers concentration ranging from 0.3 to 0.5 wt %. The interfacial synergistic effect coupled with trapping and detrapping of charge carriers is considered responsible for the observed resistive switching behavior.