Gate-tunable dendritic integration and linear classification in a chitosan-lactalbumin protonic synaptic transistor

The development of bio-inspired electronic devices capable of emulating synaptic functions and reconfigurable logic operations holds significant promise for advancing neuromorphic computing and energy-efficient systems. This study presents a chitosan-lactalbumin proton-gated transistor with a multi-gate architecture, demonstrating synaptic-mimetic and logic-inverter functionalities. The device leverages chitosan’s proton-conducting properties (σ ≈ 2.72 ×10⁻⁵ S·cm⁻¹) and lactalbumin’s field-responsive conductivity to achieve n-type transistor behavior, exhibiting high carrier mobility (84.57 cm²/V·s), a steep subthreshold swing (58.61 mV/dec), and a significant on/off ratio (5.11 ×10⁴). Atomic force microscopy and FTIR spectroscopy confirmed the structural integrity of the films, while electrochemical impedance spectroscopy validated proton transport dynamics. The transistor’s hysteresis, attributed to mobile protons (∼6.9 ×10 ¹² cm⁻²), enabled memory effects and Schmitt-triggered inverter operation with noise resilience. Dendritic-like nonlinear integration was achieved through multi-gate modulation, with EPSC responses transitioning from sublinear to super-linear via gate/drain voltage control. This work establishes a versatile platform for bio-inspired electronics, combining protonic modulation with reconfigurable logic and neuromorphic computing capabilities.