Instantaneous Gelation of a Self-Healable Wide-Bandgap Semiconducting Supramolecular Mg(II)-Metallohydrogel: An Efficient Nonvolatile Memory Design with Supreme Endurance

An efficient strategy for room-temperature, atmospheric-pressuresynthesis of a supramolecular metallohydrogel of the Mg(II) ion, i.e.,Mg@3AP, using the metal-coordinating organic ligand 3-amino-1-propanolas a low-molecular-weight gelator (LMWG) in a water medium has beendeveloped. Through a rheological analysis, we looked into the mechanicalproperties of the supramolecular Mg(II)-metallohydrogel. The self-healingnature of the metallohydrogel is confirmed along with the thixotropiccharacteristics. Investigation using field emission scanning electronmicroscopy revealed the hierarchical network of the supramolecularmetallohydrogel. The EDX elemental mapping confirms the primary chemicalconstituents of the metallohydrogel. The possible metallohydrogelformation strategy has been analyzed through FT-IR spectroscopic studies.In this work, Schottky diode structures in a metal-semiconductor-metalgeometry structures based on a magnesium(II) metallohydrogel (Mg@3AP)have been constructed, and charge transport behavior has been observed.Furthermore, here, it is demonstrated that the resistive random accessmemory (RRAM) device based on Mg@3AP exhibits bipolar resistive switchingbehavior at room temperature and ambient conditions. We have alsolooked into the switching mechanism through the formation (rupture)of conductive filaments between the metal electrodes to understandthe process of resistive switching behavior. With a high on/off ratio(similar to 100), this RRAM device exhibits remarkable switching enduranceover 10,000 switching cycles. These structures are suitable for usein nonvolatile memory design, neuromorphic computing, flexible electronics,and optoelectronics, among other fields, due to their simple fabricationprocedures, reliable resistive switching behavior, and stability ofthe current system.