TY  - JOUR
AU  - Yang, Yuchao
AU  - Gao, Peng
AU  - Li, Linze
AU  - Pan, Xiaoqing
AU  - Tappertzhofen, Stefan
AU  - Choi, ShinHyun
AU  - Waser, Rainer
AU  - Valov, Ilia
AU  - Lu, Wei D.
TI  - Electrochemical dynamics of nanoscale metallic inclusions in dielectrics
JO  - Nature Communications
VL  - 5
SN  - 2041-1723
CY  - London
PB  - Nature Publishing Group
M1  - FZJ-2014-04654
SP  - 4232
PY  - 2014
AB  - Nanoscale metal inclusions in or on solid-state dielectrics are an integral part of modern electrocatalysis, optoelectronics, capacitors, metamaterials and memory devices. The properties of these composite systems strongly depend on the size, dispersion of the inclusions and their chemical stability, and are usually considered constant. Here we demonstrate that nanoscale inclusions (for example, clusters) in dielectrics dynamically change their shape, size and position upon applied electric field. Through systematic in situ transmission electron microscopy studies, we show that fundamental electrochemical processes can lead to universally observed nucleation and growth of metal clusters, even for inert metals like platinum. The clusters exhibit diverse dynamic behaviours governed by kinetic factors including ion mobility and redox rates, leading to different filament growth modes and structures in memristive devices. These findings reveal the microscopic origin behind resistive switching, and also provide general guidance for the design of novel devices involving electronics and ionics.
LB  - PUB:(DE-HGF)16
UR  - <Go to ISI:>//WOS:000338840000001
C6  - pmid:24953477
DO  - DOI:10.1038/ncomms5232
UR  - https://juser.fz-juelich.de/record/155488
ER  -