Impact of Electrolyte Incorporation in Anodized Niobium on Its Resistive Switching

• Published in: Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland) Vol. 12; no. 5; p. 813
• Main Authors: Zrinski, Ivana, Löfler, Marvin, Zavašnik, Janez, Cancellieri, Claudia, Jeurgens, Lars P H, Hassel, Achim Walter, Mardare, Andrei Ionut
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 28-02-2022; MDPI
• Subjects: anodic oxide; Bias; Buffers; Chemical composition; Crystal structure; Electric properties; Electrochemistry; Electrodes; Electrolytes; Energy; Filaments; memristor; Memristors; Niobium; niobium oxide; Niobium oxides; Phase composition; Retention; Software; Spectrum analysis; Switching; Thin films; valve metals; Netherlands; United Kingdom > UK; Japan; Germany; valve metals; anodic oxide; niobium oxide; memristor
• ISSN: 2079-4991; 2079-4991
• DOI: 10.3390/nano12050813

The aim of this study was to develop memristors based on Nb
O
grown by a simple and inexpensive electrochemical anodization process. It was confirmed that the electrolyte selection plays a crucial role in resistive switching due to electrolyte species incorporation in oxide, thus influencing the formation of conductive filaments. Anodic memristors grown in phosphate buffer showed improved electrical characteristics, while those formed in citrated buffer exhibited excellent memory capabilities. The chemical composition of oxides was successfully determined using HAXPES, while their phase composition and crystal structure with conductive filaments was assessed by TEM at the nanoscale. Overall, understanding the switching mechanism leads towards a wide range of possible applications for Nb memristors either as selector devices or nonvolatile memories.