Simulation based comparison between a transversal and a tangential memristor model with a capacitance in parallel

Abstract

In non-linear measurements, the applied stimulus itself affects the electrical properties of the underlying tissue. If corresponding voltage-current plots exhibit pinched hysteresis loops with pinched point in the origin of coordinates, the tissue can be classified as a memristor. Several organic memristors like human skin, venus flytrap and slime mould memristors have been demonstrated. However, measurements on organic memristors are usually affected by parasitic elements like a capacitance which will influence the appearance of the recorded pinched hysteresis loops. Here we study the parallel connection of two different memristor types, one with tangential and the other with transversal pinched hysteresis loop, and a capacitance by simulations. The simulations are inspired by human skin; beside the sweat ducts that can be modelled as a transversal memristor, the surrounding tissue, the stratum corneum exhibits non-linear electrical properties, as well. Based on a systematic study we suggested that the stratum corneum may be modelled as a tangential memristor. We demonstrate here by simulations that hysteresis loops with two pinched points can be achieved if a tangential memristor model is connected in parallel to a capacitance. Similar results were obtained from the skin recordings of some subjects; examples are presented here. Furthermore, if both the tangential and the transversal memristor models contribute to the simulation, quite asymmetric pinched hysteresis loops are obtained which are similar to recordings of some other test subjects.