Nanoscale Self-Assembled Complex Networks Mimicking Brain’s Structural and Functional Development Processes

Complex network structure of the brain, composed of intricately interconnected neurons, is self-organized through biological processes and is responsible for the brain’s remarkable capabilities, such as adaptability, flexibility, and recoverability. Here, we present a nanoscale artificial self-assembled architecture that mimics the brain’s structural and functional development process and realizes brain-like complex network. The fingerprint-like lamellar structure of metal passivated by insulator, formed by synthetic block copolymer self-assembly, exhibits dynamic memristive behavior reminiscent of dendritic spine dynamics in synaptogenesis. The extended lamellar length within its complex configuration emulates neural reuse and reorganization, enabling encoding of spatiotemporal information and demonstrating recoverability from damage. These self-assembled architectures are adaptable to any substrate, including transparent and flexible ones, providing alternative physical scaffolds for neuroscience and network science to better mimic brain-like complex network systems.