Emulating Pain Perception Using a Cation Migration-Induced Threshold Switching Ag/TaOx/Pt Memristor

Our work demonstrates an artificial nociceptor made from a two terminal Ag/TaOx/Pt memristive device, fab-ricated to emulate the phenomena of biological pain perception. Our device functions based on volatile threshold switching mechanism, which is caused by field driven migration and dissolution of Ag cations within a sub-stoichiometric TaOx matrix. This threshold switching allows for the successful hardware emulation of some key nociceptive functions: a stimulus incited threshold response, temporal relaxation till a resting state, and sensiti-zation phenomena (hyperalgesia and allodynia). Our fabricated device exhibits exceptional performance characteristics, including compact structure, stable endurance, and high energy efficiency, helped by low operating voltages and leakage currents in the range of picoamperes. The flexible relaxation dynamics and stable switching behavior show its potential as a key inclusion in advanced neuromorphic tactile sensing systems, intelligent robotic e-skin, and modern prosthetics with sensory feedback.