Nature Materials· 2026Q1
Direct imaging elucidates ionic memory in two-dimensional nanochannels
- 1citations
- Q1SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
Direct imaging reveals voltage-induced wall blistering in 2D nanochannels as the origin of ionic memory, driven by electrostatic forces or osmotic pressure.
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Key points
- Voltage-induced blistering of 2D nanochannel walls is directly visualized as the origin of ionic memory.
- Two classes of blisters were identified: unidirectional (electrostatic forces) and bidirectional (osmotic pressure).
- This electromechanical coupling mechanism explains device evolution and variability.
- The findings reframe stochastic blistering as a functional design element for nanofluidic devices.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
Abstract Nanofluidic memristors promise brain-inspired information processing with ions, yet their microscopic origin remains debated. So far, ionic memory has been attributed to ion-specific interactions, dynamic wetting, chemical reactions or mechanical deformations, yet typically without direct experimental evidence. Here, by combining operando interferometric imaging with electrokinetic measurements, we directly visualize voltage-induced blistering of the confining walls of two-dimensional (2D) nanochannels as the key origin of memristive hysteresis. We identify two distinct classes of blisters: unidirectional, driven by electrostatic forces on surface charges, and bidirectional, arising from osmotic pressure due to concentration polarization. This mechanistic framework explains device evolution and device-to-device variability, and reframes stochastic blistering as a functional design element. Our results constitute a direct proof of electromechanical coupling as a robust pathway to ionic memory in 2D nanochannels and open routes towards high-performance ionic memristors and electrically actuated nanofluidic valves.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Nature Materials, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Biomedical Engineering
Biomedical EngineeringEngineering