Ion-migration memristive synaptic devices: mechanisms, device architectures, and integration strategies

Rui Dang; Yuhan Bian; Rongrong Bao; Jing Rao; Mengxiao Chen; Caofeng Pan

doi:10.1088/1674-4926/26050023

J. Semicond. > Just Accepted

REVIEWS

Ion-migration memristive synaptic devices: mechanisms, device architectures, and integration strategies

Rui Dang¹, Yuhan Bian², Rongrong Bao³, Jing Rao^4,, Mengxiao Chen^3, and Caofeng Pan^3,

+ Author Affiliations

1. School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
2. Department of Biomedical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
3. Institute of Atomic Manufacturing, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
4. School of Instrumentation and Optoelectronic Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China

Author Bio:

Rui Dang got his B.E. from Beihang University in 2024. Now he is a M.S. student at School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beihang University. His research focuses on flexible electronics and sensor devices.

Jing Rao is a professor at Beihang University. She received her Ph.D. from Nanyang Technological University and was a Humboldt Research Fellowship holder at the Technical University of Munich in Germany. She was also an assistant professor at the University of New South Wales in Australia. Her main research areas are non-destructive testing, flexible sensors, and structural health monitoring.

Mengxiao Chen is an associate professor at Beihang University. She received her B.S. degree in physics from Northeastern University 2012; and Ph. D. degree in ph-ysics from Beijing Institute of Na-noenergy and Nanosystems, CAS, in 2017. Then she joined Nanyang Technological University as a research fellow, and worked at the College of Biomedical Engineering & Instrument Science at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou as a Tenure-track Professor. Her main research interests include soft electronics, bioinspired electronics, and novel functional fiber devices.

Caofeng Pan is a distinguished Professor at Beihang University, and awarded of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars. Prof. Pan earned his bachelor's (2005) and doctoral (2010) degrees from the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University. He subsequently conducted postdoctoral research at the Georgia Institute of Technology, USA. From 2013 to 2023, he served as a professor and group leader at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, CAS. Since 2023, he has been serving as a distinguished professor and leads a research group at the Institute of Atomic Manufacturing, Beihang University. Prof. Pan’s research focuses on atomic-level manufacturing and low-dimensional semiconductor materials/device for sensing applications.

Corresponding author: J Rao, jingrao@buaa.edu.cn; M Chen, mengxiaochen@buaa.edu.cn; C Pan, pancaofeng@buaa.edu.cn

DOI: 10.1088/1674-4926/26050023CSTR: 32376.14.1674-4926.26050023

Abstract: Ion-migration memristive synaptic devices provide a physical route for hardware neuromorphic computing by using ionic redistribution, conductive-filament evolution, and interfacial barrier modulation to regulate synaptic weights. However, existing studies are often discussed according to specific material systems or individual device demonstrations, which makes it difficult to compare how different ion-migration mechanisms determine synaptic behavior, device stability, and integration potential. This mini review organizes recent progress from the perspective of operating mechanism and device type. Electrochemical metallization (ECM)-based synaptic devices are discussed with emphasis on metallic-filament formation and the challenge of achieving gradual and reproducible conductance modulation. Filamentary valence-change memory (VCM)-based devices are reviewed in terms of oxygen-vacancy channel evolution, while interfacial VCM devices are examined through interfacial ionic modulation and barrier-controlled analog switching. Hybrid ECM-VCM devices are further discussed as integrated designs that couple multiple ionic processes to balance switching window, stability, and multifunctionality. By linking mobile ionic species, switching pathways, and synaptic functions, this review provides a mechanism-based framework for understanding ion-migration memristive synaptic devices and for identifying the material, interface, and device-level issues that remain before scalable neuromorphic hardware can be realized.

Keywords: ion migration, memristor, artificial synapse, neuromorphic computing

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Fig. 1. (Color online) Mechanism-based overview of ion-migration memristive synaptic devices, including ECM and VCM structures, representative switching processes, and synaptic-function mapping. The ECM and VCM device-configuration schematics were drawn by the authors based on the device concepts described in Ref. [17]. Other schematics were adapted with permission from Refs. [18−22]. Copyright 2019, American Chemical Society; Copyright 2016, IOP Publishing Ltd.; Copyright 2024, Elsevier Ltd.; Copyright 2025, Wiley-VCH GmbH.

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Fig. 2. (Color online) Representative ion-migration switching modes: (a) metallic-filament formation/rupture in ECM, (b) oxygen-vacancy-channel formation/rupture in filamentary VCM, (c) interfacial ionic redistribution, and (d) Schottky-barrier modulation in interfacial VCM.

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Fig. 3. (Color online) Materials and interfacial regulation strategies for ECM-based synaptic devices: (a, b) conductive-island-assisted switching, (c, d) interface-engineered analog conductance modulation, and (e, f) optoelectronic/structural-material designs for multimodal synaptic behavior. Panels (a, b) adapted with permission from Ref. [21]. Copyright 2025, Wiley-VCH GmbH. Panels (c, d) adapted with permission from Ref. [38]. Copyright 2024, Elsevier Ltd. Panels (e, f) adapted from Ref. [39] under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Copyright 2025, The Authors, published by American Chemical Society.

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Fig. 4. (Color online) Strategies for regulating oxygen-vacancy channels in filamentary VCM synaptic devices: (a, b) oxygen-vacancy-gradient design, (c, d) N-doping-assisted defect engineering, and (e, f) nanoparticle/multilayer confinement for reproducible filament evolution. Panels (a, b) adapted with permission from Ref. [22]. Copyright 2025, Wiley-VCH GmbH. Panels (c, d) adapted with permission from Ref. [20]. Copyright 2024, Elsevier Ltd. Panels (e, f) adapted with permission from Ref. [48]. Copyright 2025, Wiley-VCH GmbH.

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Fig. 5. (Color online) Device-design strategies for interfacial VCM synaptic devices: (a, b) interfacial ionic coupling, (c, d) heterometal-contact barrier modulation, and (e, f) doping-regulated oxygen-vacancy engineering. Panels (a, b) adapted with permission from Ref. [46]. Copyright 2025, Wiley-VCH GmbH. Panels (c, d) adapted from Ref. [47] under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Copyright 2026, The Author(s), published by Wiley-VCH GmbH. Panels (e, f) adapted with permission from Ref. [49]. Copyright 2025, American Chemical Society.

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Fig. 6. (Color online) Hybrid ECM-VCM device-design strategies: (a, b) built-in ionic sources, (c, d) defect-rich filament modulation, and (e, f) transparent heterojunctions for electrical/optical synaptic responses. Panels (a, b) adapted with permission from Ref. [50]. Copyright 2025, Wiley-VCH GmbH. Panels (c, d) adapted from Ref. [51] under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Copyright 2024, The Authors, published by Wiley-VCH GmbH. Panels (e, f) adapted with permission from Ref. [55]. Copyright 2026, Wiley-VCH GmbH.

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Received: 13 May 2026 Revised: 03 June 2026 Online: Uncorrected proof: 14 July 2026Accepted Manuscript: 14 July 2026

Article Navigation > Journal of Semiconductors > 2026 > Accepted Manuscript

Rui Dang, Yuhan Bian, Rongrong Bao, Jing Rao, Mengxiao Chen, Caofeng Pan. Ion-migration memristive synaptic devices: mechanisms, device architectures, and integration strategies[J]. Journal of Semiconductors, 2026, In Press. doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/26050023 ****R Dang, Y H Bian, R R Bao, J Rao, M X Chen, and C F Pan, Ion-migration memristive synaptic devices: mechanisms, device architectures, and integration strategies[J]. J. Semicond., 2026, accepted doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/26050023

Citation:

R Dang, Y H Bian, R R Bao, J Rao, M X Chen, and C F Pan, Ion-migration memristive synaptic devices: mechanisms, device architectures, and integration strategies[J]. J. Semicond., 2026, accepted doi: 10.1088/1674-4926/26050023

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Ion-migration memristive synaptic devices: mechanisms, device architectures, and integration strategies

DOI: 10.1088/1674-4926/26050023

CSTR: 32376.14.1674-4926.26050023

1.
School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
2.
Department of Biomedical Engineering, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, China
3.
Institute of Atomic Manufacturing, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China
4.
School of Instrumentation and Optoelectronic Engineering, Beihang University, Beijing 100191, China

More Information

Rui Dang got his B.E. from Beihang University in 2024. Now he is a M.S. student at School of Materials Science and Engineering, Beihang University. His research focuses on flexible electronics and sensor devices
Jing Rao is a professor at Beihang University. She received her Ph.D. from Nanyang Technological University and was a Humboldt Research Fellowship holder at the Technical University of Munich in Germany. She was also an assistant professor at the University of New South Wales in Australia. Her main research areas are non-destructive testing, flexible sensors, and structural health monitoring
Mengxiao Chen is an associate professor at Beihang University. She received her B.S. degree in physics from Northeastern University 2012; and Ph. D. degree in ph-ysics from Beijing Institute of Na-noenergy and Nanosystems, CAS, in 2017. Then she joined Nanyang Technological University as a research fellow, and worked at the College of Biomedical Engineering & Instrument Science at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou as a Tenure-track Professor. Her main research interests include soft electronics, bioinspired electronics, and novel functional fiber devices
Caofeng Pan is a distinguished Professor at Beihang University, and awarded of the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars. Prof. Pan earned his bachelor's (2005) and doctoral (2010) degrees from the School of Materials Science and Engineering, Tsinghua University. He subsequently conducted postdoctoral research at the Georgia Institute of Technology, USA. From 2013 to 2023, he served as a professor and group leader at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, CAS. Since 2023, he has been serving as a distinguished professor and leads a research group at the Institute of Atomic Manufacturing, Beihang University. Prof. Pan’s research focuses on atomic-level manufacturing and low-dimensional semiconductor materials/device for sensing applications
Corresponding author: J Rao, jingrao@buaa.edu.cn; M Chen, mengxiaochen@buaa.edu.cn; C Pan, pancaofeng@buaa.edu.cn
Received Date: 2026-05-13
Revised Date: 2026-06-03

Available Online: 2026-07-14

Abstract

Abstract

Ion-migration memristive synaptic devices provide a physical route for hardware neuromorphic computing by using ionic redistribution, conductive-filament evolution, and interfacial barrier modulation to regulate synaptic weights. However, existing studies are often discussed according to specific material systems or individual device demonstrations, which makes it difficult to compare how different ion-migration mechanisms determine synaptic behavior, device stability, and integration potential. This mini review organizes recent progress from the perspective of operating mechanism and device type. Electrochemical metallization (ECM)-based synaptic devices are discussed with emphasis on metallic-filament formation and the challenge of achieving gradual and reproducible conductance modulation. Filamentary valence-change memory (VCM)-based devices are reviewed in terms of oxygen-vacancy channel evolution, while interfacial VCM devices are examined through interfacial ionic modulation and barrier-controlled analog switching. Hybrid ECM-VCM devices are further discussed as integrated designs that couple multiple ionic processes to balance switching window, stability, and multifunctionality. By linking mobile ionic species, switching pathways, and synaptic functions, this review provides a mechanism-based framework for understanding ion-migration memristive synaptic devices and for identifying the material, interface, and device-level issues that remain before scalable neuromorphic hardware can be realized.
- ion migration,
- memristor,
- artificial synapse,
- neuromorphic computing

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