fig1

Figure 1. Biomimetic iontronic architecture and ion transport mechanisms. (A) Schematic of a biological synapse and the signaling process. Pre-synaptic spikes are modulated by synaptic weights (W₁, W₂, W₃) and integrated at the soma. The arrival of an AP triggers neurotransmitter release and subsequent Na⁺ influx, generating PSPs. When the PSPs rise from the resting potential (V_rst) and exceed a threshold (V_thres), the neuron fires a post-spike, transmitting information to downstream dendrites; (B) The CNT-based iontronic neurons and their operation based on the LIF model. Input spikes drive the accumulation of ions, increasing the local concentration (c_accum) at the entrance. Without input, ions thermally dissipate, causing the concentration to decay toward the resting state (c_rst). When c_accum exceeds the critical threshold (c_thres), the system triggers a stochastic ion transport event, producing a discrete output ionbit; (C) The multi-stage physical process of ion transport. Hydrated ions are trapped by the functionalized entrance, corresponding to the energy well ΔG_ads. Then ions strip part of their hydration shell to overcome the primary energy barrier at the entrance (ΔG_F = ΔG_ads + ΔG_deh). LIF: Leaky integrate-and-fire; AP: action potential; CNT: carbon nanotube; PSP: postsynaptic potential; ΔG_F: the entrance energy barrier; ΔG_ads: the desorption energy barrier; ΔG_deh: the dehydration energy barrier.