This paper demonstrates a molecular electronic synapse using a self-assembled monolayer (SAM) of peptide molecules sandwiched between an active Ag/AgOx electrode and a liquid EGaIn electrode. The conductance of the molecular junction is dynamically modulated by electrical biases, exhibiting both short-term plasticity (paired-pulse facilitation) and long-term plasticity (spike-timing-dependent plasticity). This dynamic response is attributed to chemical gating and coordination effects between Ag+ and peptide groups. The molecular synapse achieves 100% accuracy in waveform recognition using reservoir computing.

Yuchun Zhang, Lin Liu, Bin Tu, Bin Cui, Jiahui Guo, Xing Zhao, Jingyu Wang, Yong Yan