The trapping, detrapping, and transport of the ambipolar charges in the electret of Polystyrene/C₆₀ blend films

The electrons and holes were injected into the blend electrets of polystyrene and C₆₀ (PS/C₆₀) by adjusting the biases of conductive atomic force microscopy probe. We visualized the charges trapping, release, diffusion, and retention processes of the PS/C₆₀ electrets by utilizing the Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy (KPFM), and found that the localization and retention abilities of the ambipolar charges are enhanced with the increase of C₆₀ content, indicating that blending C₆₀ in PS matrix is a promising method for the charge trapping layer in transistor memory devices. Furthermore, we discussed the storage and diffusion mechanisms, and speculated that the interface of C₆₀ and PS in the blend electrets and repulsive force between charge clusters around C₆₀ are the important factors for the novel storage effect of the blend electret.