Bioinspired High‐Performance Neuromorphic Devices Enabled by Thienoviologen‐Based Electrochemical Ion Gating

S Siyu Sun (Xi’an Jiaotong University , , , ,) Y Yueyan Zhang (Frontier Institute of Science and Technology Interdisciplinary Research Center of Frontier science and technology State Key Laboratory for Strength and Vibration of Mechanical Structures Engineering Research Center of Key Materials for Efficient Utilization of Clean Energy of Shaanxi Province Xi'an Key Laboratory of Electronic Devices and Material Chemistry Institute of New Concept Sensors and Molecular Materials Shaanxi Key Laboratory of New Conceptual Sensors and Molecular Materials Xi'an...) Z Zhikang Han (Frontier Institute of Science and Technology, Interdisciplinary Research Center of Frontier science and technology, State Key Laboratory for Strength and Vibration of Mechanical Structures, Engineering Research Center of Key Materials For Efficient Utilization of Clean Energy of Shaanxi Province, Xi'an Key Laboratory of Electronic Devices and Material Chemistry Xi'an Jiaotong University Xi'an Shaanxi P. R. China) C Chengjing Liu (Frontier Institute of Science and Technology Interdisciplinary Research Center of Frontier science and technology State Key Laboratory for Strength and Vibration of Mechanical Structures Engineering Research Center of Key Materials for Efficient Utilization of Clean Energy of Shaanxi Province Xi'an Key Laboratory of Electronic Devices and Material Chemistry Institute of New Concept Sensors and Molecular Materials Shaanxi Key Laboratory of New Conceptual Sensors and Molecular Materials Xi'an...) B Bai Sun (Frontier Institute of Science and Technology Interdisciplinary Research Center of Frontier science and technology State Key Laboratory for Strength and Vibration of Mechanical Structures Engineering Research Center of Key Materials for Efficient Utilization of Clean Energy of Shaanxi Province Xi'an Key Laboratory of Electronic Devices and Material Chemistry Institute of New Concept Sensors and Molecular Materials Shaanxi Key Laboratory of New Conceptual Sensors and Molecular Materials Xi'an...) W Wei Zhang G Gang He

Abstract

Abstract Neuromorphic computing is a bioinspired paradigm that emulates the structure and functionality of biological neural networks, demanding cutting‐edge materials and device architectures. In this work, we present a bioinspired electrochemical neuromorphic device (BEND) utilizing a thienoviologen‐based electrolyte. The incorporation of thiophene groups into the viologen structure (ThV 2+ ) leads to a reduced energy gap, improved radical stability, and enhanced electrochemical activity. The device exhibits excellent ambient stability and continuously tunable conductivity in response to voltage pulse stimulation. When integrated into a convolutional neural network (CNN) for image recognition, BEND achieves an accuracy of nearly 80% on the Fashion‐MNIST dataset. Moreover, the device successfully mimics essential synaptic functions such as spike‐timing‐dependent plasticity (STDP), Pavlovian learning, and supports dual‐terminal logic gate operations. These results significantly expand the functional versatility of viologen‐based materials in neuromorphic electronics and offer new insights into the design of next‐generation electrochemical artificial synapses.

Article Details

Volume / Issue Vol. 65, Issue 13
Published March 23, 2026
ISSN 1433-7851
Publisher Wiley

Journal Info

Angewandte Chemie International Edition

Wiley

ISSN: 1433-7851 Physical Sciences

Authors (7)

S

Siyu Sun

Xi’an Jiaotong University , , , ,

Y

Yueyan Zhang

Frontier Institute of Science and Technology Interdisciplinary Research Center of Frontier science and technology State Key Laboratory for Strength and Vibration of Mechanical Structures Engineering Research Center of Key Materials for Efficient Utilization of Clean Energy of Shaanxi Province Xi'an Key Laboratory of Electronic Devices and Material Chemistry Institute of New Concept Sensors and Molecular Materials Shaanxi Key Laboratory of New Conceptual Sensors and Molecular Materials Xi'an...

Z

Zhikang Han

Frontier Institute of Science and Technology, Interdisciplinary Research Center of Frontier science and technology, State Key Laboratory for Strength and Vibration of Mechanical Structures, Engineering Research Center of Key Materials For Efficient Utilization of Clean Energy of Shaanxi Province, Xi'an Key Laboratory of Electronic Devices and Material Chemistry Xi'an Jiaotong University Xi'an Shaanxi P. R. China

C

Chengjing Liu

Frontier Institute of Science and Technology Interdisciplinary Research Center of Frontier science and technology State Key Laboratory for Strength and Vibration of Mechanical Structures Engineering Research Center of Key Materials for Efficient Utilization of Clean Energy of Shaanxi Province Xi'an Key Laboratory of Electronic Devices and Material Chemistry Institute of New Concept Sensors and Molecular Materials Shaanxi Key Laboratory of New Conceptual Sensors and Molecular Materials Xi'an...

B

Bai Sun

Frontier Institute of Science and Technology Interdisciplinary Research Center of Frontier science and technology State Key Laboratory for Strength and Vibration of Mechanical Structures Engineering Research Center of Key Materials for Efficient Utilization of Clean Energy of Shaanxi Province Xi'an Key Laboratory of Electronic Devices and Material Chemistry Institute of New Concept Sensors and Molecular Materials Shaanxi Key Laboratory of New Conceptual Sensors and Molecular Materials Xi'an...

W

Wei Zhang

G

Gang He