Organic Electrochemical Random Access Memory: From Bio-Inspired to Bio-Integrated.

Abstract

Organic electrochemical random-access memory (OECRAM) has emerged as a promising neuromorphic device by mimicking the ion-modulated synaptic plasticity of biological systems. Leveraging organic semiconductors and ionic conductors, OECRAMs share key features with biological synapses, including a wet operating environment, organic composition, low-voltage operation, intrinsic flexibility, and multimodal sensing-memory capabilities. These features break the constraint of traditional in-memory computing architecture, enabling the seamless integration of OECRAMs with the biological nerve system for neural repair, biohybrid interfaces, and wearable healthcare. Recent advances in material, device, and system design have unlocked the future applications of OECRAMs as a bio-integrated hardware. This review highlights fundamental mechanisms, device parameters, and their determining factors, material innovations, main challenges, and application frontiers. Finally, three key opportunities for OECRAMs are raised, including implantable artificial nerves for neural functions restoration, bioelectronic hybrid synapses for specific sensing, and multimodal edge-computing systems for real-time disease diagnosis. These application scenarios outline the future directions to transition bio-integrated OECRAMs from laboratory prototypes to clinical and industrial realities.