In the limiting case you have a diode that permits current flow in one direction and not in the other. The "memristor" sounds like a "leaky" diode or a diode with a resistor in parallel to model the backward direction. I'm not convinced it is much of a "breakthrough".
It’s not a diode. A diode has ‘baked’ into it which direction it has lower resistance. A memristor is an easily reversible diode — a touch of current on one line, and it reverses; a touch of current on the other line, and it reverses the other way.
Consider that the description of the device was filtered through a reporter.
I sincerely doubt that a reporter could adequately describe the functioning of a capacitor or an inductor, much less a new class of device.
“The “memristor” sounds like a “leaky” diode or a diode with a resistor in parallel to model the backward direction. I’m not convinced it is much of a “breakthrough”. “
That is my take as well.
The logic element is a gate. It's composed of a titanium dioxide junction in a cross configuration. The current is composed of 2 carriers, electrons and ions. The Ti4+ is the most mobile. The ionic current sets up a space charge, which results in a change in the electronic resistivity in both directions. The current through the junction creates the effective diode.
I'd assume a change in spin states was involved here, because memristance(M) is dφ/dq, where φ is the magnetic flux. ie. L=dφ/dI. The equivalent of ohms law for the device is v(t)=M(q(t))i(t), so the resistance(memristance) depends on the integral of the current through the device.
Well, it’s not exactly like a leaky diode. From what I am reading anyway. A “leaky” diode won’t change it’s properties, it’ll always be leaky.