Enhanced memristive performance of individual hexagonal tungsten trioxide nanowires by water adsorption based on Grotthuss mechanism

The electrical transport properties of Au WO3 nanowire Au sandwich structures were studied under different levels of relative humidity at room temperature. Experimental results indicate that the memristive performance of the structures is enhanced remarkably when the relative humidity is above a critical level, which might be attributed to H+ drifting based on Grotthuss mechanism. H+ (produced by oxidizing water molecules with holes) drifting results in not only changes in the barrier heights but also an increase in electrical current. The Au WO3 nanowire Au sandwich structures, whose memristive performance can be modulated by gas molecule adsorption, might be a good candidate for exploiting next generation memory devices.