Ferroelectric polymer nanostructure with enhanced flexoelectric response for force-induced memory

Through utilizing individual nanodots, as smallest memory units, to convert stress into readable electronic information, we report force-induced high-density data storage in the periodic nanostructure of ferroelectric polymer fabricated by nanoimprinting lithography. The nanostructure is ideal for the stress concentration and increasing the non-uniformity of strains, thus leading to strain gradients inversely proportional to the feature size. A force as low as 400 nN is applied to generate the internal electric field in response to strain gradients and switch polarization state of each memory unit. It can achieve storage density theoretically up to TB/inch2 with the up-to-date nanofabrication technology to miniaturize the unit size.