Synthesis and characterization of oxide nanoparticles for its application in memristive devices

Abstract

Zinc and lead oxide (ZnO \& PbO) nanoparticles synthesis was carried out using a low-cost chemical precipitation technique with polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) as the stabilizer. These semiconducting metal oxides were chosen because of their distinct electronic characteristics and their wide applications in upcoming generation as memory devices. Structural and morphological analyses were carried out using XRD and HRTEM study, verifying the formation of crystalline ZnO with a hexagonal wurtzite structure and PbO with an orthorhombic phase. The average crystallite sizes were calculated and found to be approximately 28.93 and 63.11 nm for ZnO and PbO respectively, indicating successful nanoscale synthesis. Electrical characterization was performed using a planar electrode configuration and a Keithley 2450 SourceMeter to evaluate the current-voltage (VI) behavior. Both samples exhibited a prominent zero-crossing pinched hysteresis loop in their VI curves which is a hallmark of a pure memristive behavior. The switching between High and Low Resistance State i.e. HRS and LRS respectively is governed by SET and RESET voltages, was stable and repeatable across multiple cycles, demonstrating strong potential for non-volatile memory applications. The results suggest that ZnO and PbO thin films can act as reliable memristive elements capable of storing and retaining binary information. Their stable resistive switching behavior makes them promising candidates for use in resistive random-access memory (RRAM) and neuromorphic computing systems. This work not only validates the memristive properties of these materials but also paves the way for their integration into low-cost, high-performance electronic devices.