Synthesis of Phosphonic Acid Ligands for Nanocrystal Surface Functionalization and Solution Processed Memristors

Here, we synthesized 2-ethylhexyl, 2-hexyldecyl, 2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]ethyl, oleyl, and n-octadecyl phosphonic acid and used them to functionalize CdSe and HfO2 nanocrystals. In contrast to branched carboxylic acids, postsynthetic surface functionalization of CdSe and HfO2 nanocrystals was readily achieved with branched phosphonic acids. Phosphonic acid capped HfO2 nanocrystals were subsequently evaluated as memristors using conductive atomic force microscopy. We found that 2-ethylhexyl phosphonic acid is a superior ligand, combining a high colloidal stability with a compact ligand shell that results in a record-low operating voltage that is promising for application in flexible electronics.