Memristors are considered to be the fourth circuit element and have great potential in areas like logic operations, information storage, and neuromorphic computing. The functional material in a memristor, which has a nonlinear resistance, is the key component to be developed. Herein, resistive switching is demonstrated and the structural evolutions in Ag₂Te are examined under an external electric field. It is shown that the electroresistance effect is originating from an electronically triggered phase transition together with directional Ag⁺-ion diffusion. Using in situ transmission electron microscopy, the phase transition from the monoclinic α-Ag₂Te into the face-centered cubic b-Ag₂Te, accompanied by a change in resistance, is directly observed. Diffusion of Ag⁺-ions modulates the localized density of Ag⁺-ion vacancies, leading to a change in electrical conductivity and influences the threshold voltage to trigger the phase transition. During the electric field-driven phase transition, the spontaneous and localized multiple polarizations from the low-symmetry α-Ag₂Te (referring to an antiferroelectric structure) are vanishing in the cubic b-Ag₂Te (referring to a paraelectric structure). The abrupt resistance change of thin Ag₂Te caused by the phase transition and modulated by the applied electric field demonstrates its great potential as functional material in volatile memory and memristors with a low-energy consumption.

中文翻译：

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由 Ag+-离子扩散和相变调制的 Ag2Te 半导体中的电阻开关

忆阻器被认为是第四电路元件，在逻辑运算、信息存储和神经形态计算等领域具有巨大潜力。忆阻器中的功能材料具有非线性电阻，是需要开发的关键部件。在此，演示了电阻开关，并在外部电场下检查了Ag ₂ Te中的结构演变。结果表明，电阻效应源自电子触发的相变以及定向 Ag ⁺离子扩散。_{使用原位透射电子显微镜，从单斜 α-Ag 2} Te 到面心立方b -Ag ₂的相变直接观察到 Te 伴随着电阻的变化。Ag ^{+离子的扩散调节 Ag ​​+}离子空位的局部密度，导致电导率发生变化并影响阈值电压以触发相变。在电场驱动的相变过程中，来自低对称性α-Ag ₂ Te（指反铁电结构）的自发局域多重极化在立方b -Ag ₂ Te（指顺电结构）中消失。_{薄Ag 2}的电阻突变由相变引起并由施加的电场调制的 Te 证明了其作为低能耗易失性存储器和忆阻器中功能材料的巨大潜力。