Electric-Field-Triggered Ion Trapping for Non-Volatile Doping of Graphene Transistors

Electric-Field-Triggered Ion Trapping for Non-Volatile Doping of Graphene Transistors | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Electric-Field-Triggered Ion Trapping for Non-Volatile Doping of Graphene Transistors Dnyanesh Deepak Sarawate, Priscilla Prem, Eric Beckmen, Ke Xu, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9248175/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 6 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Polymorphic electronics, in which circuits dynamically alter their function, are a promising approach for secure, fault-tolerant, and adaptive computing systems. A major challenge is developing reconfigurable components that can maintain their new state without requiring constant power. Here, we demonstrate non-volatile doping of graphene field-effect transistors by trapping ions within the electric double layer (EDL) at room temperature using an electric-field-sensitive solid polymer electrolyte. The electrolyte is designed to both facilitate ion motion and undergo the Menshutkin reaction, triggered by the large electric fields generated by the EDL itself. The reaction crosslinks the polyethylene oxide (PEO)-based copolymer and traps ions at the interface between the electrolyte and the channel, giving rise to persistent channel doping that remains after grounding the gate terminal. Applying a positive programming voltage induces stable, n-type doping; however, negative programming voltages induce only weak, counter-doping, underscoring the asymmetry between positive and negative biasing. Low-temperature, dual-gated measurements confirm that ion trapping leads to non-volatility by distinguishing mobile, bulk ions from those trapped at the interface. Programming at ±5 V induces a change in electron sheet carrier density on the order of 1012 cm-2, with only weak dependence on the ion concentration. The programmed states show an average retention of the induced sheet-carrier density of 80% over seven weeks at ambient conditions; the induced charge remains stable over the first week, but starts to fluctuate by ±20% in the last four weeks. This work demonstrates a new solid electrolyte with field-sensitive functionality, and provides a device-level path for the development of electrically reconfigurable logic elements relevant to polymorphic electronics and next-generation computing. Physical sciences/Energy science and technology Physical sciences/Engineering Physical sciences/Materials science Physical sciences/Nanoscience and technology Physical sciences/Physics Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files SupplementaryInformation.pdf SupplementaryInformation.zip Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviews received at journal 22 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 20 Apr, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 20 Apr, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 02 Apr, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 01 Apr, 2026 First submitted to journal 27 Mar, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9248175","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":626394212,"identity":"202514bc-2594-4e7c-a125-4a208c2bee44","order_by":0,"name":"Dnyanesh Deepak Sarawate","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Pittsburgh","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Dnyanesh","middleName":"Deepak","lastName":"Sarawate","suffix":""},{"id":626394213,"identity":"0dc65195-dcdf-4989-b71b-14fcfe26dfa9","order_by":1,"name":"Priscilla Prem","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of 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