Proton-Based Electrochemical Random Access Memory using Nickel (Oxy)Hydroxide

In-memory computing using analog resistive memory cells can be substantially more efficient than digital computing. Electrochemical random-access memory (ECRAM) using protons or oxygen vacancies are a highly promising solution. Nickel Hydroxide is an electrochromic material that can be switched between two phases: Ni(OH)₂ (Hydroxide) and NiOOH (Oxyhydroxide) upon the insertion or removal of protons. In this work, we investigate the use of Nickel (Oxy)Hydroxide as a proton-based ECRAM material. We show that this material is able to switch resistance states in a linear and analog fashion by electrochemically shuttling protons through an alkaline electrolyte media at room temperatures. Importantly, this ECRAM cell is also able to retain information over time, providing the potential for long-term, nonvolatile, and analog information storage.