Silver Nanoparticle-Laced Plastic Memory Shows Increased Memory Capacity at Toasty Temperatures

Scientists at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University have demonstrated that an organic memory transistor made from silver nanoparticles and plastic pentacene has a larger memory capacity when operated at elevated temperatures.

Plastics and plastic electronics are comparatively more sensitive to heat than metals and other such materials. Plastics can be easily manufactured and are economical and supple. Organic or plastic electronics hold promise for low-cost, thin devices and foldable displays. But they differ from conventional silicon-based electronics when reacting to temperature variations.

The university scientists undertook a detailed study on the temperature-dependent behavior of plastic electronics. They used an organic non-volatile memory transistor made from plastic pentacene, which was laced with silver nanoparticles. They heated the device to a temperature of 90°C. This process caused the nanoparticles to clump together in groups, leading to a change in particle distribution. This also led to an initial decrease in the device’s memory window. The window is the voltage range, within which the silver nanoparticle-laced plastic retains its original on/off state. The researchers later cycled the heat and discovered that operating at higher temperatures led to a bigger memory window.