Session: 06-08: Bioinspired Networks and Neurons

Paper Number: 110619

110619 - Synaptic Plasticity in Electroosmosis-Driven Geopolymer Memristors 

Biological synapses facilitate communication between neurons via electrical or chemical signals. Memristors are electric components able to emulate the memory and computational properties of biological synapses by remembering the current that flows through them. This property makes them excellent candidates for the development of artificial synapses, which represent the building blocks of neuromorphic computing. Most of the existing memristors are nanoscale devices, fabricated via expensive and time-consuming processes. We recently demonstrated that geopolymers, inexpensive ceramic materials obtained from alkaline activation of amorphous aluminosilicate precursors, present the fingerprints of memristors. We also proposed a physics-based model to describe how electroosmosis is responsible for memristive properties in geopolymers. Here we study the synaptic functions of geopolymer memristors. With the help of single-channel pulsed excitations, we analyzed the Short-Term Plasticity (STP) and Long-Term Plasticity (LTP) behaviors of geopolymers. Additionally, Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity (STDP) in terms of Long-Term Potentiation (LTP) and Long-Term Depression (LTD) were also observed by stimulating geopolymers with pairs of pre-synaptic and post-synaptic pulses. In particular, Hebbian and Bienenstock-Cooper-Munro (BCM) learning behavior was observed. Spike-Frequency-Dependent Plasticity (SFDP) properties such as Paired-Pulse Facilitation (PPF) and Post-Tetanic Potentiation (PTP) are also demonstrated. The reported findings pave the way for the use of geopolymers in the development of novel and low-cost memristive devices.

Presenting Author: Mahmudul Alam Shakib University of Iowa

Presenting Author Biography: I have been working as a Graduate Research Assistant at the Smart Multifunctional Material Systems Lab at the University of Iowa since 2020. My undergraduate institution was Islamic University of Technology in Bangladesh. At the SMMS lab I am currently exploring the memristive properties of geopolymers, potential low-cost materials for neuromorphic computing applications.