Organic memristive devices based on pectin as a solid polyelectrolyte

Novel architectures of organic memristive device with pectin as a solid polyelectrolyte have been developed and studied. The assembled devices exhibit memristive properties (hysteresis and rectification) emulating the signal process and memory functions of biological synapses. This work reveals for the first time that pectin from fruit peel is a promising material for nonvolatile memory applications based on polyaniline electrochemistry. In addition, we have demonstrated that under well-defined conditions, pectin can play the role of an intermediate biocompatible layer interfacing the electronic device with the living organism preserving functions of both. In particular, the pectin interfacing layer in this case maintains polyaniline conductivity without the presence of strong inorganic acids. The method was successfully validated by developing a hybrid bio-memristive electrochemical device with living organism Physarum polycephalum. (C) 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.