Chemical and Resistive Switching Properties of Elaeodendron buchananii Extract–Carboxymethyl Cellulose Composite: A Potential Active Layer for Biodegradable Memory Devices

Abstract

Biodegradable electronic devices play a crucial role in addressing the escalating issue of electronic waste accumulation, which poses significant environmental threats. In this study, we explore the utilization of a methanol-based extract of the <i>Elaeodendron buchananii</i> plant blended with a carboxymethyl cellulose biopolymer to produce a biodegradable and environmentally friendly functional material for a resistive switching memory system using silver and tungsten electrodes. Our analyses revealed that these two materials chemically interact to generate a perfect composite with near semiconducting optical bandgap (4.01 eV). The resultant device exhibits O-type memory behavior, with a low ON/OFF ratio, strong endurance (≥103 write/erase cycles), and satisfactory (≥103) data retention. Furthermore, through a comprehensive transport mechanism analysis, we observed the formation of traps in the composite that significantly improved conduction in the device. In addition, we established that altering the voltage amplitude modifies the concentration of traps, leading to voltage amplitude-driven multiple resistance states. Overall, our findings underscore the potential of functionalizing polymers that can be functionalized by incorporating plant extracts, resulting in biodegradable and nonvolatile memory devices with promising performance metrics.