Proton-responsive azulene-based conjugated polymer with nonvolatile memory effects

Abstract

Proton-responsive electrochemical oxidation polymers are attractive due to their ability to respond to pH changes and applied electric fields. Here, we report an azulene-based conjugated polymer, PAV, which exhibits proton-gated and electrical-gated changes in its conductivity. The unique behavior of PAV was attributed to the direct formation of azulenium cation radicals, which was confirmed by in situ UV-Vis and electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy measurements. The fabricated Al/PAV/ITO device exhibited stable nonvolatile rewritable memory performance with highly symmetrical turn-on/off voltages and excellent endurance over 500 switching cycles.