A multifunctional molecular spintronic platform with magnetoresistive and memristive responses via a self-assembled monolayer

We report the spin-dependent transport and the I-V hysteretic characteristics in molecular-level organic spin valves containing a self-assembled-monolayer (SAM) barrier of 1,4 benzenedimethanethiol (BDMT). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy confirms the establishment of an ordered self-assembled monolayer of BDMT with the phosphonic groups coordinated onto the ferromagnet surface. The magnetoresistive (MR) and the I-V curves characterize the transport properties of the SAM-based organic spin valves, which exhibit both types of non-volatile memory switching, i.e., the magnetoresistive and the memristive switching. The results reveal the possibility of integrating organic SAM into the future multifunctional molecular-level spintronic device applications.