Flexible DPPT-TT/PEO Fiber-Exploiting Electro-optical Synaptic Transistor for Artificial Withdrawal Reflex Arc

Abstract

An artificial withdrawal reflex arc that can realize neuromorphic tactile perception, neural coding, information processing, and real-time responses was fabricated at the device level without dependence on algorithms. As an extended application, the artificial reflex arc was used to perform an object-lifting task based on tactile commands, and it can easily lift a 200-g weight. A fiber-exploiting electro-optical synaptic transistor (FEST) was fabricated to emulate synaptic plasticity modulated by electrical or optical spikes. Due to an ultrahigh spike duration-dependent plasticity index (~ 12,651%), the FEST was applied in electro-optical encrypted communication tasks and effectively increased signal recognition accuracy. In addition, the FEST has excellent bending resistance (bending radii = 0.6–1.4 cm, bending cycles > 2000) and stable illumination responses for a wide range of incident angles (0°–360°), demonstrating its potential applicability in wearable electronics. This work presents new design strategies for complete artificial reflex arcs and wearable neuromorphic devices, which may have applications in bioinspired artificial intelligence, human–machine interaction, and neuroprosthetics.

Keywords

DPPT-TT/PEO fibers / Flexible synaptic transistors / Synaptic plasticity / Artificial withdrawal reflex arc

References

[1] He K, Liu Y, Wang M, Chen G, Jiang Y, Yu J, Wan C, Qi D, Xiao M, Leow WR, Yang H, Antonietti M, Chen X. An artificial somatic reflex arc. Adv Mater, 2020, 32,

[2] Ni Y, Han H, Liu J, Choi Y, Liu L, Xu Z, Yang L, Jiang C, Gao W, Xu W. A fibrous neuromorphic device for multi-level nerve pathways implementing knee jerk reflex and cognitive activities. Nano Energy, 2022, 104,

[3] Shao L, Luo S, Wang Z, Xu X, Yan Y, Wu Y, Guo M, Wei D, Zhao Y, Liu Y. A flexible biohybrid reflex arc mimicking neurotransmitter transmission. Cell Rep Phys Sci, 2022, 3,

[4] Kaspar C, Ravoo BJ, van der Wiel WG, Wegner SV, Pernice WHP. The rise of intelligent matter. Nature, 2021, 594: 345,

[5] Kim Y, Chortos A, Xu W, Liu Y, Oh JY, Son D, Kang J, Foudeh AM, Zhu C, Lee Y, Niu S, Liu J, Pfattner R, Bao Z, Lee T-W. A bioinspired flexible organic artificial afferent nerve. Science, 2018, 360: 998,

[6] Cohen D, Nakai T, Nishimoto S. Brain networks are decoupled from external stimuli during internal cognition. Neuroimage, 2022, 256,

[7] Fu Y, Chan YT, Jiang YP, Chang KH, Wu HC, Lai CS, Wang JC. Polarity-differentiated dielectric materials in monolayer graphene charge-regulated field-effect transistors for an artificial reflex arc and pain-modulation system of the spinal cord. Adv Mater, 2022, 34,

[8] Jin Y, Luo C, Guo W, Xie J, Wu D, Wang R. Text classification based on conditional reflection. IEEE Access, 2019, 7: 76712,

[9] Carnevale D, Lembo G. Neuroimmune interactions in cardiovascular diseases. Cardiovasc Res, 2021, 117: 402,

[10] Ni Y, Liu L, Liu J, Xu W. A high-strength neuromuscular system that implements reflexes as controlled by a multiquadrant artificial efferent nerve. ACS Nano, 2022, 16: 20294,

[11] Wang D, Zhao S, Li L, Wang L, Cui S, Wang S, Lou Z, Shen G. All-flexible artificial reflex arc based on threshold-switching memristor. Adv Funct Mater, 2022, 32: 2200241,

[12] Nishino T. The swallowing reflex and its significance as an airway defensive reflex. Front Physiol, 2012, 3: 489

[13] Tan H, Tao Q, Pande I, Majumdar S, Liu F, Zhou Y, Persson POA, Rosen J, van Dijken S. Tactile sensory coding and learning with bio-inspired optoelectronic spiking afferent nerves. Nat Commun, 2020, 11: 1369,

[14] Lee Y, Oh JY, Xu W, Kim O, Kim TR, Kang J, Kim Y, Son D, Tok JB-H, Park MJ, Bao Z, Lee T-W. Stretchable organic optoelectronic sensorimotor synapse. Sci Adv, 2018, 4: eaat7387,

[15] Chan V, Pisegna JM, Rosian RL, DiCarlo SE. Construction of a model demonstrating neural pathways and reflex arcs. Am J Physiol, 1996, 271: S14

[16] Guo J, Liu L, Bian B, Wang J, Zhao X, Zhang Y, Yan Y. Field-created coordinate cation bridges enable conductance modulation and artificial synapse within metal nanoparticles. Nano Lett, 2022, 22: 6794,

[17] Yang JJ, Xia Q. Organic electronics: battery-like artificial synapses. Nat Mater, 2017, 16: 396,

[18] Zhu LQ, Wan CJ, Guo LQ, Shi Y, Wan Q. Artificial synapse network on inorganic proton conductor for neuromorphic systems. Nat Commun, 2014, 5: 3158,

[19] Cheng Z, Ríos C, Pernice WHP, Wright CD, Bhaskaran H. On-chip photonic synapse. Sci Adv, 2017, 3,

[20] Ercan E, Lin YC, Yang WC, Chen WC. Self-assembled nanostructures of quantum dot/conjugated polymer hybrids for photonic synaptic transistors with ultralow energy consumption and zero-gate bias. Adv Funct Mater, 2022, 32: 2270037,

[21] Ni Y, Yang L, Feng J, Liu J, Sun L, Xu W. Flexible optoelectronic neural transistors with broadband spectrum sensing and instant electrical processing for multimodal neuromorphic computing. SmartMat, 2022, 4,

[22] Wang S, Chen C, Yu Z, He Y, Chen X, Wan Q, Shi Y, Zhang DW, Zhou H, Wang X, Zhou P. A MoS2/PTCDA hybrid heterojunction synapse with efficient photoelectric dual modulation and versatility. Adv Mater, 2019, 31,

[23] Liu Q, Yin L, Zhao C, Wang J, Wu Z, Lei H, Liu Y, Tian B, Zhang Z, Zhao Z, Liu R, Ding C, Han Y, Ma C-Q, Song P, Mitrovic IZ, Lim EG, Wen Z. Hybrid mixed-dimensional perovskite/metal-oxide heterojunction for all-in-one opto-electric artificial synapse and retinal-neuromorphic system. Nano Energy, 2022, 102,

[24] Sun Y, Lin Y, Zubair A, Xie D, Palacios T. WSe2/graphene heterojunction synaptic phototransistor with both electrically and optically tunable plasticity. 2D Mater., 2021, 8,

[25] Wang Y, Zhou R, Cong H, Chen G, Ma Y, Xin S, Ge D, Qin Y, Ramakrishna S, Liu X, Wang F. Weak UV-stimulated synaptic transistors based on precise tuning of gallium-doped indium zinc oxide nanofibers. Adv Fiber Mater, 2023, 5: 1919,

[26] Wei H, Ni Y, Sun L, Yu H, Gong J, Du Y, Ma M, Han H, Xu W. Flexible electro-optical neuromorphic transistors with tunable synaptic plasticity and nociceptive behavior. Nano Energy, 2021, 81,

[27] Shim H, Ershad F, Patel S, Zhang Y, Wang B, Chen Z, Marks TJ, Facchetti A, Yu C. An elastic and reconfigurable synaptic transistor based on a stretchable bilayer semiconductor. Nat Electron, 2022, 5: 660,

[28] Oh S, Cho J-I, Lee BH, Seo S, Lee J-H, Choo H, Heo K, Lee SY, Park J-H. Flexible artificial Si-In-Zn-O/ion gel synapse and its application to sensory-neuromorphic system for sign language translation. Sci Adv, 2021, 7: eabg9450,

[29] Wang X, Yan Y, Li E, Liu Y, Lai D, Lin Z, Liu Y, Chen H, Guo T. Stretchable synaptic transistors with tunable synaptic behavior. Nano Energy, 2020, 75,

[30] Xiao P, Mao J, Ding K, Luo W, Hu W, Zhang X, Zhang X, Jie J. Solution-processed 3D RGO-MoS2/pyramid Si heterojunction for ultrahigh detectivity and ultra-broadband photodetection. Adv Mater, 2018, 30,

[31] Zhang C, Ye WB, Zhou K, Chen HY, Yang JQ, Ding G, Chen X, Zhou Y, Zhou L, Li F, Han ST. Bioinspired artificial sensory nerve based on nafion memristor. Adv Funct Mater, 2019, 29: 1808783,

[32] Han ST, Zhou Y, Roy VA. Towards the development of flexible non-volatile memories. Adv Mater, 2013, 25: 5425,

[33] Derderian C, Shumway KR, Tadi P. . Physiology, withdrawal response, 2019 Treasure Island, FL StatPearls Publishing

[34] Huseynova G, Xu Y, Nketia Yawson B, Shin E-Y, Lee MJ, Noh Y-Y. P-type doped ambipolar polymer transistors by direct charge transfer from a cationic organic dye Pyronin B ferric chloride. Org Electron, 2016, 39: 229,

[35] Jo SH, Chang T, Ebong I, Bhadviya BB, Mazumder P, Lu W. Nanoscale memristor device as synapse in neuromorphic systems. Nano Lett, 2010, 10: 1297,

[36] Xu Z, Ni Y, Han H, Wei H, Liu L, Zhang S, Huang H, Xu W. A hybrid ambipolar synaptic transistor emulating multiplexed neurotransmission for motivation control and experience-dependent learning. Chinese Chem Lett, 2023, 34,

[37] Yang JJ, Strukov DB, Stewart DR. Memristive devices for computing. Nat Nanotechnol, 2013, 8: 13,

[38] Abbott LF, Regehr WG. Synaptic computation. Nature, 2004, 431: 796,

[39] Yang L, Singh M, Shen SW, Chih KY, Liu SW, Wu CI, Chu CW, Lin HW. Transparent and flexible inorganic perovskite photonic artificial synapses with dual-mode operation. Adv Funct Mater, 2020, 31: 2008259,

[40] Liu J, Gong J, Wei H, Li Y, Wu H, Jiang C, Li Y, Xu W. A bioinspired flexible neuromuscular system based thermal-annealing-free perovskite with passivation. Nat Commun, 2022, 13: 7427,

[41] Zamarreno-Ramos C, Camunas-Mesa LA, Perez-Carrasco JA, Masquelier T, Serrano-Gotarredona T, Linares-Barranco B. On spike-timing-dependent-plasticity, memristive devices, and building a self-learning visual cortex. Front Neurosci, 2011, 5: 26,

[42] Feldman DE. The spike-timing dependence of plasticity. Neuron, 2012, 75: 556,

[43] Linares-Barranco B, Serrano-Gotarredona T. Memristance can explain spike-time-dependent-plasticity in neural synapses. Nat Prec, 2010,

[44] Schroeder BC, Kurosawa T, Fu T, Chiu YC, Mun J, Wang GJN, Gu X, Shaw L, Kneller JWE, Kreouzis T, Toney MF, Bao Z. Taming charge transport in semiconducting polymers with branched alkyl side chains. Adv Funct Mater, 2017, 27: 1701973,

[45] Nofriansyah D, Defit S, Nurcahyo GW, Ganefri G, Ridwan R, Ahmar AS, Rahim R. A new image encryption technique combining hill cipher method, Morse code and least significant bit algorithm. J Phys Conf Ser, 2018, 954,

[46] Qu S, Sun L, Zhang S, Liu J, Li Y, Liu J, Xu W. An artificially-intelligent cornea with tactile sensation enables sensory expansion and interaction. Nat Commun, 2023, 14: 7181,

[47] Zhang J, Sun T, Zeng S, Hao D, Yang B, Dai S, Liu D, Xiong L, Zhao C, Huang J. Tailoring neuroplasticity in flexible perovskite QDs-based optoelectronic synaptic transistors by dual modes modulation. Nano Energy, 2022, 95,

[48] Rucci M, Ahissar E, Burr D. Temporal coding of visual space. Trends Cogn Sci, 2018, 22: 883,

[49] Ptito M, Bleau M, Bouskila J. The retina: a window into the brain. Cells, 2021, 10: 3269,

[50] Collin GB, Gogna N, Chang B, Damkham N, Pinkney J, Hyde LF, Stone L, Naggert JK, Nishina PM, Krebs MP. Mouse models of inherited retinal degeneration with photoreceptor cell loss. Cells, 2020, 9: 931,

[51] Abraira VE, Ginty DD. The sensory neurons of touch. Neuron, 2013, 79: 618,

[52] Hao J, Bonnet C, Amsalem M, Ruel J, Delmas P. Transduction and encoding sensory information by skin mechanoreceptors. Pflug Arch Eur J Phy, 2015, 467: 109,

[53] Sheng N, Peng Y, Sun F, Hu J. High-performance fasciated yarn artificial muscles prepared by hierarchical structuring and sheath–core coupling for versatile textile actuators. Adv Fiber Mater, 2023, 5: 1534,

[54] Chen J, Pakdel E, Xie W, Sun L, Xu M, Liu Q, Wang D. High-performance natural melanin/poly(vinyl alcohol-co-ethylene) nanofibers/PA6 fiber for twisted and coiled fiber-based actuator. Adv Fiber Mater, 2020, 2: 64,

Funding

National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars of China(T2125005); National Key R&D Program of China(2022YFA1204504); Tianjin Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholars(19JCJQJC61000); Shenzhen Science and Technology Project(JCYJ20210324121002008); National Natural Science Foundation of China(62204131); China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(2023T160336)