Cyclic resistive switching effect in plasma electrolytically oxidized mesoporous Pt/TiO2 structures

• Pt/TiO2 microstructures based on mesoporous titania can perform as resistive switching elements.
• Plasma electrolytic oxidation of refractory metals can be used as a low-cost fabrication approach.
• Samples demonstrated pinched I–V hysteresis attributed to the resistive switching effect.
• Ratio with magnitude of 6 is reported for the resistance switching effect.

Understanding the resistive switching phenomenon in metal oxide semiconductors is necessary in producing reliable resistive random access memory and other variable resistance devices. An alternative technique for fabricating resistive switching elements is presented. Using plasma electrolytic oxidation, 10–11 μμm thick oxide layers were galvanostatically grown on Ti substrates in a 3 M H2SO4 electrolyte. Analysis of the TiO2 layer by SEM, AFM, and XRD found the mesoporous titania surface to have a high ratio of rutile to anatase phases. The samples demonstrated pinched I–V hysteresis attributed to the resistive switching effect, when subjected to cyclic loading (±2.5, 1.6, 0.7 V; 23–736 μμHz) at room temperature. Ratio with magnitude of 6 is reported for the resistance switching effect during 1.6 V 368 μμHz loads.