Dynamic Covalent Approaches to Responsive Electropores for Iontronics
Abstract
Regulating ion transport across biomimetic membranes is fundamental to the design of adaptive neuromorphic and iontronic systems. Electroporation provides a powerful means to establish conductive pathways without biological pore-forming agents, yet these pores are inherently transient and stochastic, limiting their ability to achieve non-volatile, reconfigurable conductance. Here, we show stable, chemically responsive electropores in nanoparticle-surfactant bilayers assembled via dynamic covalent diketoenamine chemistry. The lifetime of electropores is modulated via electrical stimuli, allowing the bilayer to emulate synaptic behaviors ranging from short-term plasticity to long-term potentiation. While interfacial jamming structurally stabilizes conductive pathways against line-tension-induced closure, amine-mediated bond exchanges provide a distinct chemical trigger to unjam interface and actively reseal the pores. By evaluating a series of 1-alkylamines, we find that additive lipophilicity governs the interfacial chemo-response, with high partition coefficients being essential for triggering pore resealing. By integrating photo-caged polymeric amines into the surrounding oil phase, we achieve in situ optical resetting of transmembrane ion conductance, bypassing physical intervention and slow passive diffusion of exogenous chemical triggers. Our findings establish dynamic covalent nanoparticlesurfactants as a robust architecture for engineering stable, responsive electropores in biomimetic membranes, providing a foundation for adaptive neuromorphic and iontronic systems.
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BibTeX
@misc{kang2026dynamic,
title = {{Dynamic Covalent Approaches to Responsive Electropores for Iontronics}},
author = {Jiho Kang and Paul D. Ashby and Ahmad K. Omar and Thomas P. Russell and Brett A. Helms},
howpublished = {ChemRxiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.26434/chemrxiv.15009021/v1},
url = {https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15009021/v1},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Dynamic Covalent Approaches to Responsive Electropores for Iontronics
AU - Jiho Kang
AU - Paul D. Ashby
AU - Ahmad K. Omar
AU - Thomas P. Russell
AU - Brett A. Helms
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/17
PB - ChemRxiv
DO - 10.26434/chemrxiv.15009021/v1
UR - https://chemrxiv.org/doi/full/10.26434/chemrxiv.15009021/v1
AB - Regulating ion transport across biomimetic membranes is fundamental to the design of adaptive neuromorphic and iontronic systems. Electroporation provides a powerful means to establish conductive pathways without biological pore-forming agents, yet these pores are inherently transient and stochastic, limiting their ability to achieve non-volatile, reconfigurable conductance. Here, we show stable, chemically responsive electropores in nanoparticle-surfactant bilayers assembled via dynamic covalent diketoenamine chemistry. The lifetime of electropores is modulated via electrical stimuli, allowing the bilayer to emulate synaptic behaviors ranging from short-term plasticity to long-term potentiation. While interfacial jamming structurally stabilizes conductive pathways against line-tension-induced closure, amine-mediated bond exchanges provide a distinct chemical trigger to unjam interface and actively reseal the pores. By evaluating a series of 1-alkylamines, we find that additive lipophilicity governs the interfacial chemo-response, with high partition coefficients being essential for triggering pore resealing. By integrating photo-caged polymeric amines into the surrounding oil phase, we achieve in situ optical resetting of transmembrane ion conductance, bypassing physical intervention and slow passive diffusion of exogenous chemical triggers. Our findings establish dynamic covalent nanoparticlesurfactants as a robust architecture for engineering stable, responsive electropores in biomimetic membranes, providing a foundation for adaptive neuromorphic and iontronic systems.
ER -