Polyfluorene-based conjugated polyelectrolyte containing metalloporphyrin for biomimetic memristive devices

Emulating synaptic bionics and plasticity is considered to be the first step in obtaining efficient brain-like artificial neural networks. The electrical properties of organic polymeric materials can be tailored through chemical structure design and synthesis; therefore, memristive devices based on organic polymer materials have unique advantages for neurosynaptic biomimetic applications. In this work, a metalloporphyrin was introduced into the main chain of a polymer through Suzuki coupling, and a novel polyfluorene-based conjugated polyelectrolyte, PFI-ZnPor, was synthesized. The conjugated polyelectrolyte displayed good thermal stability and was highly soluble in polar solvents. Memristive devices with an Al/PFI-ZnPor/ITO structure were prepared by the solution spin-coating method. Synaptic biomimetic and synaptic plasticity were successfully simulated by using this device. The synaptic performance of the memristive device originated from the redox behavior of metalloporphyrin and the ion migration of conjugated polyelectrolyte under the electric field. This work provides new insights into the design of organic polymeric memristive materials for neurosynaptic biomimetic devices.