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Memristor synapse – a device-level critical review

Memristor synapse – a device-level critical review
Memristor synapse – a device-level critical review

The memristor has long been known as a nonvolatile memory technology alternative and has recently been explored for neuromorphic computing, owing to its capability to mimic the synaptic plasticity of the human brain. The architecture of a memristor synapse device allows ultra-high-density integration by internetworking with crossbar arrays, which benefits large-scale training and learning using advanced machine-learning algorithms. In this review, we present a statistical analysis of neuromorphic computing device publications from 2018 to 2025, focusing on various memristive systems. Furthermore, we provide a device-level perspective on biomimetic properties in hardware neural networks such as short-term plasticity (STP), long-term plasticity (LTP), spike timing-dependent plasticity (STDP), and spike rate-dependent plasticity (SRDP). Herein, we highlight the utilization of optoelectronic synapses based on 2D materials driven by a sequence of optical stimuli to mimic the plasticity of the human brain, further broadening the scope of memristor controllability by optical stimulation. We also highlight practical applications ranging from MNIST dataset recognition to hardware-based pattern recognition and explore future directions for memristor synapses in healthcare, including artificial cognitive retinal implants, vital organ interfaces, artificial vision systems, and physiological signal anomaly detection.

LTP, memristor synapse, SRDP, STDP, STP
2079-4991
Simanjuntak, Firman
a5b8dd07-002c-4520-9f67-2dc20d2ff0d5
Simanjuntak, Firman
a5b8dd07-002c-4520-9f67-2dc20d2ff0d5

Simanjuntak, Firman (2026) Memristor synapse – a device-level critical review. Nanomaterials, 16 (3), [179]. (doi:10.3390/nano16030179).

Record type: Review

Abstract

The memristor has long been known as a nonvolatile memory technology alternative and has recently been explored for neuromorphic computing, owing to its capability to mimic the synaptic plasticity of the human brain. The architecture of a memristor synapse device allows ultra-high-density integration by internetworking with crossbar arrays, which benefits large-scale training and learning using advanced machine-learning algorithms. In this review, we present a statistical analysis of neuromorphic computing device publications from 2018 to 2025, focusing on various memristive systems. Furthermore, we provide a device-level perspective on biomimetic properties in hardware neural networks such as short-term plasticity (STP), long-term plasticity (LTP), spike timing-dependent plasticity (STDP), and spike rate-dependent plasticity (SRDP). Herein, we highlight the utilization of optoelectronic synapses based on 2D materials driven by a sequence of optical stimuli to mimic the plasticity of the human brain, further broadening the scope of memristor controllability by optical stimulation. We also highlight practical applications ranging from MNIST dataset recognition to hardware-based pattern recognition and explore future directions for memristor synapses in healthcare, including artificial cognitive retinal implants, vital organ interfaces, artificial vision systems, and physiological signal anomaly detection.

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Accepted/In Press date: 23 January 2026
Published date: 28 January 2026
Keywords: LTP, memristor synapse, SRDP, STDP, STP

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 509678
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/509678
ISSN: 2079-4991
PURE UUID: 2ee1e385-1c10-4d13-a13c-2481a4704957
ORCID for Firman Simanjuntak: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-9508-5849

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Date deposited: 02 Mar 2026 17:38
Last modified: 07 Mar 2026 04:02

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Author: Firman Simanjuntak ORCID iD

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