Imagine a future in which computers process information not with streams of electrons but with hydrated ions flowing through salt water, a system that mimics how the brain itself computes. This emerging field—known as iontronics, a portmanteau of ions and electronics—is rapidly growing as researchers design neuromorphic computing devices, inspired by animal nervous systems and powered by electrolyte solutions at the nanoscale [1–3]. Since Leon Chua introduced the memory resistor or “memristor” in the 1970s [4], these components have been considered revolutionary building blocks for neuromorphic computing. A memristor’s electrical resistance depends on the current that flowed through it before it was powered off, offering a way to store information. Unlike solid-state memristors, fluidic ones still face challenges in terms of scalability and integration with a circuit. A study by Patricio Ramirez of the University of Valencia in Spain and colleagues recently presented a preliminary step toward a scalable version [5]. The researchers demonstrated that nanofluidic memristors, based on membranes containing conical nanopores, can be organized into functional circuits. By arranging membranes in series and in parallel configurations, they showed how synaptic weight—that is, conductance—can be manipulated to represent brain-like properties that could be used in future logic and fluidic neuromorphic systems [6].
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