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Updated: Oct 6, 2025

Assembly and Characterization of Biomolecular Memristors Consisting of Ion Channel-doped Lipid Membranes
Published on: March 9, 2019
Memristive Behaviors Dominated by Reversible Nucleation Dynamics of Phase-Change Nanoclusters
Qin Wan1, Fei Zeng1,2, Yiming Sun1
1Key Laboratory of Advanced Materials (MOE), School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, P. R. China.
Abstract:
One of the important steps for realizing artificial intelligence is identifying elementary units that are beneficial for neural network construction. A type of memristive behavior in which phase-change nanoclusters nucleate adaptively in two adjacent dielectric layers with distinct distribution patterns is demonstrated. This memristive system responds in potentiation to increased stimulation strength and fire action potential after threshold stimulation. Reversible nucleation of phase-change nanoclusters is confirmed after both in situ and ex situ examinations using high-resolution transmission electron microscopy. The dynamics at the nanoscale level dominates the actions of the two dielectric layers. The oscillation response over a long period is due to the competition between crystalline and amorphous phases in the layer near the bottom electrode. Weight mutation, that is, action potential firing, is caused by the blockage of the filament in the layer near the top electrode. The memristive system is compact and able to execute complicated functions of a complete neuron and performs an important role in neuromorphic computing.
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