Low-dimensional lead-free inorganic perovskites for resistive switching with ultralow bias

3D organic–inorganic and all-inorganic lead halide perovskites have been intensively pursued for resistive switching memories in recent years. Unfortunately, instability and lead toxicity are two foremost challenges for their large-scale commercial applications. Dimensional reduction and composition engineering are effective means to overcome these challenges. Herein, low-dimensional inorganic lead-free Cs₃Bi₂I₉ and CsBi₃I₁₀ perovskite-like films are exploited for resistive switching memory applications. Both devices demonstrate stable switching with ultrahigh on/off ratios (≈10⁶), ultralow operation voltages (as low as 0.12 V), and self-compliance characteristics. 0D Cs₃Bi₂I₉-based device shows better retention time and larger reset voltage than the 2D CsBi₃I₁₀-based device. Multilevel resistive switching behavior is also observed by modulating the current compliance, contributing to the device tunability. The resistive switching mechanism is hinged on the formation and rupture of conductive filaments of halide vacancies in the perovskite films, which is correlated with the formation of AgI_x layers at the electrode/perovskite interface. This study enriches the library of switching materials with all-inorganic lead-free halide perovskites and offers new insights on tuning the operation of solution-processed memory devices.