Resistive Switching Phenomenon Observed in Self-Assembled Films of Flame-Formed Carbon-TiO(2) Nanoparticles

Nanostructured films of carbon and TiO(2) nanoparticles have been produced by means of a simple two-step procedure based on flame synthesis and thermophoretic deposition. At first, a granular carbon film is produced on silicon substrates by the self-assembling of thermophoretically sampled carbon nanoparticles (CNPs) with diameters of the order of 15 nm. Then, the composite film is obtained by the subsequent thermophoretic deposition of smaller TiO(2) nanoparticles (diameters of the order of 2.5 nm), which deposit on the surface and intercalate between the carbon grains by diffusion within the pores. A bipolar resistive switching behavior is observed in the composite film of CNP-TiO(2). A pinched hysteresis loop is measured with SET and RESET between low resistance and high resistance states occurring for the electric field of 1.35 × 10(4) V/cm and 1.5 × 10(4) V/cm, respectively. CNP-TiO(2) film produced by flame synthesis is initially in the low resistive state and it does not require an electroforming step. The resistance switching phenomenon is attributed to the formation/rupture of conductive filaments through space charge mechanism in the TiO(2) nanoparticles, which facilitate/hinder the electrical conduction between carbon grains. Our findings demonstrate that films made of flame-formed CNP-TiO(2) nanoparticles are promising candidates for resistive switching components.