Nonvolatile bistable resistive switching in a new polyimide bearing 9-phenyl-9H-carbazole pendant

A new polyimide bearing the functional pendant 9-phenyl-9H-carbazole moieties, poly[2,2-(4,4′-di(N-benzyloxycarbazole)-3,3′-biphenylene)propane-hexafluoroisopropylidenediphthalimide] (6F-BAHP-PC PI), has been designed as a functional material for resistance memory devices. The ITO/6F-BAHP-PC PI/Ag memory device exhibits nonvolatile resistive switching (RS) with a high ON/OFF ratio (>106), long retention time (>6 × 104 s), good endurance, and low power consumption (∼100 μW). In situconductive atomic force microscopy measurements show that the RS of 6F-BAHP-PC PI originates from the formation/rupture of nanoscale conducting filaments.