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Updated: May 2, 2026

Assembly and Characterization of Biomolecular Memristors Consisting of Ion Channel-doped Lipid Membranes
Published on: March 9, 2019
Nonlinear ion transport in a 2D Janus membrane with an angstrom pore: memristive and negative differential resistance
Mohan Teja Dronadula1,2, Narayana R Aluru1,2
1Walker Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712, USA.
Abstract:
We report nanofluidic memristive behavior and negative differential resistance (NDR) in a MoSSe angstrom pore using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. The system exhibits pinched-loop hysteresis in its current-electric field (I-E) response when subjected to a sinusoidal electric field pulse. Furthermore, we identified a NDR region, marked by a conductance switch from low to high resistance beyond a critical threshold electric field. This switching behavior originates from electric field induced dipole ordering of water confined within the nanopore, leading to an increased translocation barrier. We further show that the system exhibits biological synapse like behavior, exhibiting neuromorphic functions such as short-term plasticity and paired-pulse facilitation/depression. These findings demonstrate that nanoscale confined solvent ordering can serve as a physical basis for achieving non-linear ion transport behavior, enabling applications in next-generation neuromorphic computing systems.
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