Effects of Silver Nanoparticles in Pectin Polysaccharide Thin Film on Resistive Switching Characteristics

This study investigates the resistive switching characteristics of Ag nanoparticle (AgNP)-incorporated pectin (pectin-AgNP) as a memristive thin film, with varying concentrations of AgNP (0.0 wt.%, 0.5 wt.%, and 1.0 wt.%) and pectin (5.0 mg/L, 5.5 mg/L, 6.0 mg/L, 6.5 mg/L, and 7.0 mg/L), sandwiched between Au and indium tin oxide (ITO) electrodes on glass substrate. The structural, chemical, and electrical properties of these pectin-AgNP thin films were evaluated. With AgNP concentration of 0.5 wt.% in a pectin concentration of 5.5 mg/mL, the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectra indicated the highest presence of C–O bonds. This suggests the incorporation of AgNP and the formation of more linear and extended pectin chains established by glycosidic bonds. The abundance of C–O bonds contributed significantly to the increase in the resistance of the thin film, consequently yielding the highest ON/OFF ratio (7.2 × 10³) observed among the samples. The electronic and thermochemical mechanisms governing the resistive switching behaviours were also proposed.