Electrical bistability of CdS nanoparticles sandwiched between aluminum tris (8-hydroxyquinoline) layers

We report the electrical bistability of cadmium sulfide (CdS) nanoparticles (NPs) capped by dodecanethiol, which are sandwiched between aluminum tris (8-hydroxyquinoline) (Alq3) layers. The current density–voltage (J–V) characteristics of the device with Al/Alq3/CdS NPs/Alq3/Al structures show the high- and low-conducting state at the same voltage, and the two states are reproducible by applying different negative sweeping voltages. The Ohmic model and the space–charge limited model are proposed and supported by the current density–voltage results, which give a possible transport mechanism for the electrical bistability of our devices.