Memristive devices based on two-dimensional materials for data storage, encryption, and communication

• Grant number: 24/19776-3
• Support Opportunities: Generation Project Research Grant
• Start date: February 01, 2026
• End date: January 31, 2031
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Condensed Matter Physics
• Principal Investigator: Luíz Gustavo Simão Albano
• Grantee: Luíz Gustavo Simão Albano
• Host Institution: Centro Nacional de Pesquisa em Energia e Materiais (CNPEM). Campinas , SP, Brazil
• City of the host institution: Campinas
• Associated researchers: Adalberto Fazzio ; Carlos César Bof Bufon ; Jiwoong Park ; Rafael Abrantes Penchel ; Rafael Furlan de Oliveira
• Associated scholarship(s): 26/00825-0 - Memristive devices based on two-dimensional materials for data storage, encryption, and communication, BP.GR

Abstract

Modern life is increasingly immersed in the constant acquisition and processing of real-time data, resulting in a global demand for efficient storage and processing alternatives. In this context, memristive devices (resistors with memory characteristics) are extremely promising due to their unique operational properties. Since their first commercialization in 2006, using magnetic materials and metal oxides, various materials have been studied to consolidate this type of device in the global memory market (~USD 280 billion/year). Despite significant advances, performance and integration issues persist, effectively limiting their commercialization. Though still incipient, two-dimensional materials have emerged as a promising alternative. However, current fabrication processes involving the transfer and stacking of these monolayers are not yet standardized, and they often generate structural defects that can impact device performance. Thus, this research proposal aims to correlate structural defects resulting from these processes with the key performance metrics of memristive devices. The number of stacked monolayers and their composition will be preferentially evaluated. Transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) monolayers will be studied, as well as hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) and reduced graphene oxide (r-GO), obtained through mechanical exfoliation and metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD). Subsequently, the devices will be optimized to integrate specific applications involving data storage (high state retention), cryptography (stochasticity), and operations in the radio frequency range (~30 - 300 GHz). This proposal is original and innovative, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs 7, 8 and 9) from United Nations and involving collaborators from the São Paulo state and abroad. Additionally, it relies on the use of existing open facilities from the São Paulo state, and it is in synergy with the scientific and technological perspectives driven by the advent of the 6G network in Brazil. (AU)