Poly(vinyl alcohol)-Based Hybrid Films Incorporating Graphene Oxide and Bovine Serum Albumin for Low-Voltage Resistive Switching Memory Devices

In this study, we investigated the resistive switching behavior and synaptic characteristics of a composite hybrid film, poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)-graphene oxide (GO)-bovine serum albumin (BSA) protein, as an insulating layer for device fabrication. The fabricated device, Ag/PVA-GO-BSA/FTO, showed good switching properties with a sub-1 V operation voltage and a high on/off ratio of more than 102. In terms of reliability, the device exhibited excellent retention (>104 s) and endurance for more than 103 cycles. This is attributed to the strong electrostatic interactions between the protonated amino moieties of the protein and the carboxylic functional groups of GO, which bring about electrical stabilization of the device. The device performance was also analyzed for varying compliance currents and reset voltages. The synaptic characteristics, such as long-term potentiation and long-term depression, were demonstrated in the device. The switching dynamics of the device were analyzed with respect to pulse parameters, including pulse amplitude, width, and interval time. In addition, the filamentary switching mechanism of the device was confirmed through conductive atomic force microscopy (C-AFM) measurements.