Iontronic Neuromorphic Signaling with Conical Microfluidic Memristors

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Abstract

Experiments have shown that the conductance of conical channels, filled with an aqueous electrolyte, can strongly depend on the history of the applied voltage. These channels hence have a memory and are promising elements in brain-inspired (iontronic) circuits. We show here that the memory of such channels stems from transient concentration polarization over the ionic diffusion time. We derive an analytic approximation for these dynamics which shows good agreement with full finite-element calculations. Using our analytic approximation, we propose an experimentally realizable Hodgkin-Huxley iontronic circuit where micrometer cones take on the role of sodium and potassium channels. Our proposed circuit exhibits key features of neuronal communication such as all-or-none action potentials upon a pulse stimulus and a spike train upon a sustained stimulus.

Original languageEnglish
Article number268401
Pages (from-to)1-7
Number of pages7
JournalPhysical Review Letters
Volume130
Issue number26
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 30 Jun 2023

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 American Physical Society.

Funding

This work is part of the D-ITP consortium, a program of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) that is funded by the Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Science (OCW). T. M. K. performed the calculations, W. Q. B. conceptualized the work, T. M. K. and W. Q. B. developed the theory under supervision of C. S. and R. v. R. All authors discussed the results and contributed to the Letter.

Keywords

  • cond-mat.soft
  • q-bio.NC
  • Electroosmotic flow
  • Water
  • Transport-properties
  • Generation
  • Ion-current rectification
  • Dynamics
  • Desalination
  • Nanochannel
  • Nanopores
  • Hysteresis

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