Scientists create nanofluidic chip with “brain-like” memory pathways

Researchers at Monash Engineering have developed a fluid-based chip that mimics the neural pathways of the brain, potentially paving the way for a new generation of computers.

Built from a specially engineered metal-organic framework (MOF), the coin-sized chip channels ions through nanoscale pathways, behaving like electronic transistors while also “remembering” previous signals - a property known as neural plasticity.

“For the first time, we’ve observed saturation nonlinear conduction of protons in a nanofluidic device,” said Professor Huanting Wang, co-lead author and Deputy Director of the Monash Centre for Membrane Innovation. “This opens up new opportunities for designing iontronic systems with memory and even learning capabilities.”

The breakthrough demonstrates how engineered nanoporous materials could lead to liquid-based data storage and brain-inspired computing systems, offering a glimpse into the future of smart, adaptive technologies.

Read the research article in Science Advances here.

Co-lead author Huanting Wang is a Sir John Monash Distinguished Professor and Australian Research Council (ARC) Laureate Fellow.

Co-lead author Dr Jun Lu from Monash Chemical and Biological Engineering is currently working as a visiting scholar at the University of California, Berkeley.