Long-term potentiation mechanism of biological postsynaptic activity in neuro-inspired halide perovskite memristors

Perovskite memristors have emerged as leading contenders in brain-inspired neuromorphic electronics. Although these devices have been shown to accurately reproduce synaptic dynamics, they pose challenges for in-depth understanding of the underlying nonlinear phenomena. Potentiation effects on the electrical conductance of memristive devices have attracted increasing attention from the emerging neuromorphic community, demanding adequate interpretation. Here, we propose a detailed interpretation of the temporal dynamics of potentiation based on nonlinear electrical circuits that can be validated by impedance spectroscopy. The fundamental observation is that the current in a capacitor decreases with time; conversely, for an inductor, it increases with time. There is no electromagnetic effect in a halide perovskite memristor, but ionic-electronic coupling creates a chemical inductor effect that lies behind the potentiation property. Therefore, we show that beyond negative transients, the accumulation of mobile ions and the eventual penetration into the charge-transport layers constitute a bioelectrical memory feature that is the key to long-term synaptic enhancement. A quantitative dynamical electrical model formed by nonlinear differential equations explains the memory-based ionic effects to inductive phenomena associated with the slow and delayed currents, invisible during the ‘off mode’ of the presynaptic spike-based stimuli. Our work opens a new pathway for the rational development of material mimesis of neural communications across synapses, particularly the learning and memory functions in the human brain, through a Hodgkin–Huxley-style biophysical model.