Organic Ferroelectrics for Regulation of Electronic and Ionic Transport Toward Neuromorphic Applications

Abstract

Organic ferroelectrics (OFEs) have been of significant research interest not only for nonvolatile memory applications but also for their unique material characteristics such as mechanical softness, biocompatibility, facile processibility, and chemically tailorable functionalities that inorganic counterparts are hard to achieve. Despite these promising merits, the utilization of OFEs has mainly focused on simply demonstrating flexible nonvolatile memories wherein modulation of electronic conductance is of interest. Recent studies indicate that the applicability of OFEs can be further extensive, particularly when combined with electronic, ionic, and mixed electronic-ionic conducting media. Herein, we discuss that OFEs can be employed for the regulation of electronic as well as ionic charges, and lead to unique device behaviors. First, we comprehensively introduce organic ferroelectric materials classified with their structures and compositions. Next, we discuss recent studies where organic ferroelectricity has been incorporated with electronic, ionic, or mixed transport system to resolve issues in devices and endow multifunctionality, which are promising for neuromorphic computing and sensory memory systems. Finally, insight into the research direction of OFEs is provided, and what hurdles shall be overcome for real-world applications.