Neuromorphic ionic computing in droplet interface junctions

17th April 2025

Timing : 1 pm ET

Please use this zoom link for joining the webinar

For a list of all talks at the NanoBio seminar Series Spring'25, see here


The human brain achieves complex memory and computational functions by regulating ion transport through synaptic ion channels, inspiring the development of nanofluidic memristors that mimic synaptic behavior. In this work, we introduce a membrane ion channel synapse (MICS), composed of two lipid-terminated aqueous droplets, to achieve neuromorphic functionality. This deceptively simple system allows us to construct devices that exhibit a combination of memristive and memcapacitive functionality, characterized by hysteretic ion current-voltage responses. This functionality can be further regulated by introducing membrane ion channel functionality that alters membrane transport dynamics. We show that MICS can effectively simulate various electrical pulse pattern processing and replicate fundamental biological behaviors such as potentiation and depotentiation and associative learning—a hallmark of biological synapses. Furthermore, we demonstrate its potential for reservoir computing through tasks such as hand-written digit recognition. This study presents a soft, flexible, droplet-based biomimetic synapse with scalable networking capabilities, offering new opportunities for advanced brain-machine interfaces and next-generation computing devices.



Snow
Dr. Alex Noy
Materials Science Division
Physics and Life Sciences Directorate
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Livermore, CA

Alex Noy is a Senior Research Scientist at the Materials Science Division at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). He joined LLNL in 1998 as its first E.O. Lawrence Fellow after getting his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from Harvard University and became a Staff Scientist in 2001. His research group works at the intersection of nanoscience, biomaterials, and bioengineering. The current research portfolio in the Noy group centers on nanofluidics and transport in highly confined environments of nanotube pores, as well as on precision separations in other nanomaterials platforms. Since 2005 Noy has also been an Adjunct Professor at the University of California Merced. He was elected an MRS Fellow in 2025.