Memory devices based on organic materials are a promising alternative towards the next generation of nonvolatile nanoelectronics. The memristor is defined as any two-terminal electronic device that alters its conductivity based on its electronic history. In this effort, a polymer derivative of the electronically active carbazole moiety is synthesized, characterized and tested. Under an applied electric field, the carbazole groups rearrange to a proper face-to-face alignment, thus facilitating easier electron carrier delocalization and charge transport through molecular conformational changes. By tuning the structure of the polymer, the flexibility of the chain and the number of conductivity states can be further modified. The ability to have a multitude of conductivity states according to applied voltage makes the memristor a major candidate for emulating synapses in artificial neural networks – offering both the high connectivity and the high density required for efficient computing. Memristors, with a simple device architecture of ITO/poly(n-(9H-carbazol-9-yl)n-alkyl methacrylate)/Al, are shown emulating essential synaptic plasticity and learning behaviors, including long-term plasticity and spike-timing-dependent plasticity, through programmed waveforms inspired by neuronal action potential. Variations to the length of side chains that attach the carbazole moiety to the polymer backbone were studied for their effects on the optical and electrical properties of these materials.

Polymeric memristors from <i>n</i>-alkyl methacrylate to model neuromorphic dynamics

2019 Spring National Meeting

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Polymeric memristors from n-alkyl methacrylate to model neuromorphic dynamics