A novel 4D chaotic system based on composite memristors: dynamics, circuit implementation, and image encryption applications

Abstract This paper introduces a novel four-dimensional (4D) chaotic system based on a new composite memristor. The system is constructed by coupling a flux-controlled memristor, which uniquely integrates both piecewise and cubic nonlinearities, into a three-dimensional Jerk system. Dynamic analysis reveals that the proposed system exhibits rich dynamical behaviors, including a period-doubling route to chaos and, most significantly, the phenomenon of multistability with coexisting symmetric attractors. The system’s chaotic properties and physical realizability are confirmed through Lyapunov exponent analysis and LTspice circuit simulations, respectively. To demonstrate its practical utility, the chaotic sequences generated by the system are applied to an image encryption task. The results confirm that the system can produce sequences with excellent cryptographic properties, showing great potential for applications in secure communications.