(372a) Active Membranes for Neuron-Inspired Ionotronic Devices

The membrane of a neuron recognizes chemical signals at the synapse, converts them to electrical signals that move rapidly down the axon upon meeting a threshold, and finally triggers the release of another chemical signal at the axon terminal. Assemblies of these building blocks – nervous systems – comprise the most sophisticated computing schemes yet known and make possible the autonomous function and rich behavioral diversity of all higher animals.

With the intent of enabling advanced materials with complex autonomous functionality, we are developing a gel-based scheme inspired by the architecture of neurons that converts external chemical and optical signals to fast-moving electrical potentials, which can then be harnessed to perform chemical work. By storing energy in a chemical gradient between aqueous compartments and releasing it by triggering selective permeabilization events in an initially insulating organogel membrane, we can generate electrical potential changes on the order of 100 mV. We compare the spatial voltage decrement along insulating, capacitive membranes to that of an electrotonus in excitable tissues. Finally, we describe an electrochemical end effector whose activity is initiated by the electrical impulse. In this way, we aim to exploit the toolkit of stimuli-responsive chemistry to enable fast, spatially decoupled responses to a variety of environmental signals.