Side-chain engineering of two-dimensional polymer thin films for high-performance organic non-volatile memories

Abstract

Two-dimensional polymers (2DPs) are emerging as promising charge-trapping layers for organic non-volatile memories (ONVMs), offering advantages such as tunable structures, flexibility, and light weight. Despite extensive research on the backbones of 2DPs, the influence of side chains remains underexplored. In this study, we address this gap by synthesizing four 2DP variants with identical backbones but different side chains. Among them, poly-TT, featuring hexoxy side chains, exhibits the best memory performance, achieving a memory window exceeding 30 V and exceptional stability. Photoluminescence (PL) and temperature-dependent PL spectroscopy reveal that the hexoxy side chains enhance charge transfer efficiency and exciton separation in ONVMs. These findings deepen our understanding of the structure–property relationships in 2DPs and provide new strategies for designing high-performance, durable, flexible memory devices.