Phase‐Change Materials for Volatile Threshold Resistive Switching and Neuronal Device Applications

Volatile threshold switching materials are an important pathway to simulate neuronal behavior. This review summarizes recent advances in the development of volatile resistive switching devices and neuronal oscillators based on three representative phase change materials, emphasizes the major challenges in this rapidly evolving field, and provides an outlook for future directions for basic research and applications. Abstract Volatile threshold resistive switching and neuronal oscillations in phase‐change materials, specifically those undergoing ‘metal‐to‐insulator’ transitions, offer unique attributes such as fast and low‐field volatile switching, tunability, and stochastic dynamics. These characteristics are particularly promising for emulating neuronal behaviors and solving complex computational problems. In this review, we summarize recent advances in the development of volatile resistive switching devices and neuronal oscillators based on three representative materials with coincident electronic and structural phase transitions, at different levels of technological readiness: the well‐studied correlated oxide VO2, the charge‐density‐wave transition metal dichalcogenide 1T‐TaS2, and the emerging phase‐change complex chalcogenide BaTiS3. We discuss progresses from the perspective of materials development and device implementation. Finally, we emphasize the major challenges that must be addressed for practical applications of these phase‐change materials and provides outlook on the future research directions in this rapidly evolving field. Volatile threshold switching materials are an important pathway to simulate neuronal behavior. This review summarizes recent advances in the development of volatile resistive switching devices and neuronal oscillators based on three representative phase change materials, emphasizes the major challenges in this rapidly evolving field, and provides an outlook for future directions for basic research and applications. Abstract Volatile threshold resistive switching and neuronal oscillations in phase-change materials, specifically those undergoing ‘metal-to-insulator’ transitions, offer unique attributes such as fast and low-field volatile switching, tunability, and stochastic dynamics. These characteristics are particularly promising for emulating neuronal behaviors and solving complex computational problems. In this review, we summarize recent advances in the development of volatile resistive switching devices and neuronal oscillators based on three representative materials with coincident electronic and structural phase transitions, at different levels of technological readiness: the well-studied correlated oxide VO 2, the charge-density-wave transition metal dichalcogenide 1 T -TaS 2, and the emerging phase-change complex chalcogenide BaTiS 3. We discuss progresses from the perspective of materials development and device implementation. Finally, we emphasize the major challenges that must be addressed for practical applications of these phase-change materials and provides outlook on the future research directions in this rapidly evolving field. Advanced Science, Volume 12, Issue 42, November 13, 2025.