Researchers (left to right) Jordi Sort, Enric Menéndez and Zhengwei Tan in the lab at the UAB.
UAB researchers have developed a magnetic material capable of imitating the way the brain stores information. The material makes it possible to emulate the synapses of neurons and mimic, for the first time, the learning that occurs during deep sleep.
Neuromorphic computing is a new computing paradigm in which the behavior of the brain is emulated by mimicking the main synaptic functions of neurons. Among these functions is neuronal plasticity: the ability to store information or forget it depending on the duration and repetition of the electrical impulses that stimulate neurons, a plasticity that would be linked to learning and memory.
Among the materials that mimic neuron synapses, memresistive materials, ferroelectrics, phase change memory materials, topological insulators and, more recently, magneto-ionic materials stand out. In the latter, changes in the magnetic properties are induced by the displacement of ions within the material caused by the application of an electric field. In these materials it is well known how the magnetism is modulated when applying the electric field, but the evolution of magnetic properties when voltage is stopped (that is, the evolution after the stimulus) is difficult to control. This makes it complicated to emulate some brain-inspired functions, such as maintaining the efficiency of learning that takes place even while the brain is in a state of deep sleep (i.e., without external stimulation).
This study, led by researchers from the UAB Department of Physics Jordi Sort and Enric Menéndez, in collaboration with the ALBA Synchrotron, the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2) and the ICMAB, proposes a new way of controlling the evolution of magnetization both in the stimulated and in the post-stimulus states.
The researchers have developed a material based on a thin layer of cobalt mononitride (CoN) where, by applying an electric field, the accumulation of N ions at the interface between the layer and a liquid electrolyte in which the layer has been placed can be controlled. “The new material works with the movement of ions controlled by electrical voltage, in a manner analogous to our brain, and at speeds similar to those produced in neurons, of the order of milliseconds,” explain ICREA research professor Jordi Sort and Serra Húnter Tenure-track Professor Enric Menéndez. “We have developed an artificial synapse that in the future may be the basis of a new computing paradigm, alternative to the one used by current computers”, Sort and Menéndez point out.
By applying voltage pulses, it has been possible to emulate, in a controlled way, processes such as memory, information processing, information retrieval and, for the first time, the controlled updating of information without applied voltage. This control has been achieved by modifying the thickness of the cobalt mononitride layers (which determines the speed of the ions motion), and the frequency of the pulses. The arrangement of the material allows the magnetoionic properties to be controlled not only when the voltage is applied but also, for the first time, when the voltage is removed. Once the external voltage stimulus disappears, the magnetization of the system can be reduced or increased, depending on the thickness of the material and the protocol how the voltage has been previously applied.
This new effect opens a whole range of opportunities for new neuromorphic computing functions. It offers a new logic function that allows, for example, the possibility of mimicking the neural learning that occurs after brain stimulation, when we sleep profoundly. This functionality cannot be emulated by any other type of existing neuromorphic materials.
“When the thickness of the cobalt mononitride layer is below 50 nanometers and with a voltage applied at a frequency greater than 100 cycles per second, we have managed to emulate an additional logic function: once the voltage is applied, the device can be programmed to learn or to forget, without the need for any additional input of energy, mimicking the synaptic functions that take place in the brain during deep sleep, when information processing can continue without applying any external signal”, highlight Jordi Sort and Enric Menendez.
Original Article: Researchers develop a material that mimics how the brain stores information
More from: Autonomous University of Barcelona | Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology | Catholic University of Leuven
The Latest Updates from Bing News
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Magneto-ionic materials
- The Dirtiest Side of EVs: Rare Earths and Conflict Metals
"Typical mining operations for rare earth mines vary from hard rock to heavy-mineral sands and ionic adsorption clay operations," de Jonge said. "For hard rock assets (the most common), metallurgy is ...
- Laser light makes a material magnetic
By applying laser light that is both circularly polarized – that is, its polarization traces out a corkscrew-like shape as it propagates – and resonant with the frequency of atomic oscillations within ...
- The Rise of Natural Polymers: Pioneering Sustainable Material Development
By Taha Khan Apr 25 2024 Reviewed by Lexie Corner Natural polymers are complex molecules composed of long chains of repeating units found in nature. Derived from widely available renewable sources, ...
- Magnetic with a pinch of hydrogen: Research team develops new idea to improve the properties of ultra-thin materials
Magnetic two-dimensional materials consisting of one or a few atomic layers have only recently become known and promise interesting applications, for example for the electronics of the future. So far, ...
- DNA compaction find may help treat genetic disorders
In a path-breaking discovery, scientists from Odisha have unearthed some unique physio-chemical properties in ionic liquids (organic salts in liqu ...
Go deeper with Bing News on:
Artificial synapse
- Scientists use salt, water to prove human brain-like computer can exist
The artificial synapse known as an iontronic memristor functions as a microchannel filled with a solution of water and salt.
- ByteDance Prefers Shutdown to Selling TikTok #1740
ByteDance, the Chinese parent company of TikTok, has expressed a preference for shutting down its TikTok app in the U.S. if forced to divest rather than ...
- First experimental proof for brain-like computer with water and salt
Theoretical physicists at Utrecht University, together with experimental physicists at Sogang University in South Korea, have succeeded in building an artificial synapse. This synapse works with water ...
- Enhancing SiPh Microring Resonators with Ferroionic CCPS Materials
Science & Applications, Dr. Ghada Dushaq and Professor Mahmoud Rasras, along with colleagues from New York University Abu Dhabi, revealed a new method for active light manipulation using ferroionic 2D ...
- Emulating neurodegeneration and aging in artificial intelligence systems
In recent years, developers have introduced artificial intelligence (AI) systems that can simulate or reproduce various human abilities, such as recognizing objects in images, answering questions, and ...