Memristive nanoparticles formed using a biotemplate

Abstract

We demonstrated a novel biological process based on the use of a supramolecular protein as a reaction cage, in which a memristive element is formed. We showed that ferritin can be used to generate memristive nanoparticles by biomineralization. Magnetite (Fe₃O₄) nanoparticles with a size of 6 nm were prepared using a biotemplate. After a fine monolayer of NPs was formed on the electrode, the protein shells were removed in order to improve the electrical contact between NP and electrode. The synthesized nanoparticles exhibit clear bipolar resistive switching behaviors in metal/oxide/metal structure. From c-AFM measurements, even a single NP exhibits the memory behavior, leading to their promising potential application in nanoscale resistive memory.