Direct imaging elucidates ionic memory in two-dimensional nanochannels.

Voltage-driven blistering of the confining walls in two-dimensional nanochannels is directly visualized as the key origin of memristive hysteresis, with two blister classes identified.

• Why it matters: Ionic memory in nanofluidic memristors is debated because proposed mechanisms lack direct experimental evidence at the microscopic level.
• What they did: The team combined operando interferometric imaging with electrokinetic measurements to observe blister formation under applied voltage and classify blisters by their driving forces.
• The result: Unidirectional blisters are linked to electrostatic forces on surface charges, while bidirectional blisters are linked to osmotic pressure from concentration polarization, explaining device evolution and variability.

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