Micro/Nanofluidic Ion-Based Memristor Electrolytes: A perspective

Abstract

Nanofluidic memristors exploit ion redistribution within geometrically confined electrolytes to replicate synaptic plasticity, and have emerged as a compelling platform for neuromorphic computing. Unlike solid-state counterparts relying on defect engineering, these devices harness surface-charge-governed ion transport to produce history-dependent, rectified current responses. The electrolyte is a central design variable, defining switching speed, resistance range, retention, and operating voltage. This perspective surveys three principal electrolyte classes. Aqueous ionic salt solutions afford high ionic conductivity and concentration-tunable selectivity but suffer from volatility. Polymer electrolytes introduce conformational relaxation timescales that enable emulation of short-and long-term synaptic plasticity. Room-temperature ionic liquids deliver negligible volatility, wide electrochemical stability, and viscositydriven non-volatile conductance memory. A unifying insight is that memristive behavior is an emergent property of the interplay between geometric confinement and collective ionic response. We conclude by identifying challenges in fabrication precision, stability, and array integration, and outline promising directionsparticularly hybrid electrolytes-toward practical brain-inspired hardware.