Resistive switching kinetics of electrolyte-gated polyaniline-based memristive devices

Memristive devices have a multitude of potential applications, ranging from neuromorphic computing systems and chips to bioprosthetic, each demanding distinct characteristics and features. Among these attributes, the time of resistive switching stands out as one of the most important items. Achieving synchronization between switching rates of memristive devices and existing systems that they complement, either CMOS or biological, is of crucial importance. Moreover, switching time defines energy consumption. Organic memristive devices, particularly those built upon semiconductive polymer polyaniline (PANI), exhibit promising attributes. The primary parameter of a PANI-based memristor is the thickness of the active polymer film. This study provides an insight into the dependency of switching time of PANI–based memristive devices on the thickness of the film and a comprehensive analysis of a switching process itself. Throughout the investigation, it is found that the switching time to conductive state decreases with diminishing PANI film thickness, until reaching a threshold, beyond that the trend reverses. In contrast, devices featuring PANI film thicknesses ranging from 10 to 20 nm exhibit the swiftest switching behavior and are thus considered as an optimal choice for further applications.