My second publication is now published in Faraday Discussions and can be found here. In this work we expand on a previously published work in PRL. My co-authors and I present a theoretical model that describes concentration polarisation in channels filled with an aqueous electrolyte and which carry an inhomogeneous surface charge. These "bipolar" channels, i.e. opposite surface charges at either end of the channel, are known to perform much better in terms of current rectification and are therefore much more interesting for actual applications. With our work, the dynamics inside these channels are now explained and quantitatively characterised. Additionally, we show that this strongly expanded range of available conductances in a single channel allows for neuromorphic circuits that exhibit neuronal spiking using the same typical voltages found in mammalian neurons. Therefore we further support the potential of fluidic iontronic devices to closely emulate and reproduce features of neuronal signalling.
The Faraday Discussions journal offers a unique feature. Every issue focusses on a specific topic and all authors are invited to speak on an international conference organised by the RSC, in this instance held in Edinburgh. All articles are distributed to all participants in advance and instead of merely a presentation, all participants get the opportunity to discuss the paper with the authors and each other. The resulting discussion will be published later on as well. I was the youngest speaker of the conference and it was an amazing experience to stand up on the podium and debate this fascinating topic with the best of the best from around the world.