Aromaticity‐Dependent Memristive Switching

Abstract In recent years, memristors have drawn attention as non‐volatile memory devices for advanced computing engineering. The features of memristors, such as hysteresis, high resistance state to low resistance state ratio, retention time, etc., are determined by the material, structure of the device, the switching mechanism, and the kinetics resulting from the characteristics of the materials. Here, a resistive switching is proposed based on the aromaticity change of the material. A device has been built based on tetracyclone that undergoes the transition from an antiaromatic to an aromatic state upon applied potential. This phenomenon results in the presence of two distinguishable, and more importantly, stable resistive states of the memristor. On the basis of theoretical and experimental investigation, it is demonstrated that the working principle of the device depends on the redox change of the molecules. This study provides the foundation for a new kind of memristive switching mechanism: the formation of virtual conductivity paths. They can be a key to improving the performance of semiconductor memory devices in crucial factors such as stability, reversibility, and nonvolatility because these paths are related to electron delocalization and do not involve any significant structural changes in the device (e.g., diffusion).