TY - JOUR AU - Wang, Yiwen AU - Qian, Han AU - Sun, Bing AU - Kvarnström, Carita AU - Wei, Di TI - Nanoconfined materials enabling iontronic logic control from interfacial ion dynamics to intelligent devices JO - Iontronics PY - 2026 VL - 2 IS - 3 SP - EP - 25 SN - ISSN 3070-6483 (Online) AB -

Iontronic logic control, which regulates ions rather than electrons as information carriers, is emerging as a promising route toward bioinspired information processing, soft interfaces, and chemically responsive intelligent devices. A central challenge, however, is that ionic transport is intrinsically coupled to solvation, interfacial electrostatics, and spatiotemporal redistribution, making logic control far more complex than in conventional electronic systems. In this context, nanoconfined materials provide a uniquely powerful platform because ionic transport changes fundamentally when channel dimensions approach the electrical double layer (EDL) thickness or even the size of hydrated ions. Under these conditions, surface charge, interfacial chemistry, geometric asymmetry, and dynamic channel states become dominant, enabling nonlinear ionic responses that are inaccessible in bulk electrolytes. In this review, we examine how nanoconfined materials enable iontronic logic control from a unified physicochemical perspective. The confinement-induced transport features that make nanoconfined channels suitable for ionic logic are first outlined, followed by a summary of recent advances in three representative device classes: iontronic diodes based on asymmetric ion transport, iontronic transistors based on electrostatic or junction regulation, and iontronic memristors based on history-dependent ionic states. Particular emphasis is placed on how interfacial ion dynamics, including ion redistribution, channel-state evolution, and selective ion shuttling, are translated into rectification, gating, amplification, and memory. Finally, we discuss the major challenges in precise channel engineering, mechanistic characterization, reproducibility, and integration, and highlight future opportunities for programmable and scalable nanoconfined platforms, standardized benchmarking protocols, integration of in situ/operando characterization, and energy-information co-processing systems.

KW - Iontronic logic control KW - nanoconfined materials KW - iontronic diodes KW - iontronic transistors KW - iontronic memristors DO - 10.20517/iontronics.2026.16 UR - https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/iontronics.2026.16