Synthesis and Properties of poly(p-xylylene)–Molybdenum Oxide Nanocomposites

Poly( p -xylylene)–molybdenum oxide nanocomposite thin films of different thicknesses and inorganic filler content are synthesized by low-temperature vapor deposition polymerization. The structure of the nanocomposites and its evolution during thermal annealing is studied by wide angle X-ray scattering and X-ray absorption spectroscopy. It is found that the molybdenum oxide nanoparticles are amorphous in both the as-deposited and annealed composite films. The short-range order characteristic of orthorhombic molybdenum trioxide is preserved in the nanoparticles; however, a noticeable disordering of the structure together with a decrease in the effective oxidation state of molybdenum are revealed. Both an increase in the filler content and thermal annealing lead to a decrease in the bandgap of the composites, which is related to the increase in the nanoparticle size. It is shown that thermal annealing improves the stability of the resistive switching (RS) characteristics in memristors based on the synthesized nanocomposites, which creates an opportunity for the application of these materials as the active layer of memristive devices.