Structure and electrical properties of Ag-ultrafine-particle–polymer thin films

Abstract

Toluylene 2,4-dicarbamidonitrite (TDCN) and Ag-ultrafine-particle–TDCN thin films were prepared by using an ionized-cluster-beam (ICB) deposition method. TDCN is a newly synthesized conjugated polymer with novel properties. These thin films were characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The TEM results indicate that the crystalline structure of the organic thin films can be controlled by the parameters of the ICB and the ultrathin crystalline TDCN film can be achieved by using the ICB deposition method. Results also demonstrated that amounts of Ag ultrafine particles embedded in the organic thin films may play an important role in the functional properties of the composite thin films. The electrical bistability of the Ag-ultrafine-particle–TDCN thin films was also achieved, and the possible conductive mechanism of the films was suggested qualitatively.