Self-Assembled Nanostructures of Quantum Dot/Conjugated Polymer Hybrids for Photonic Synaptic Transistors with Ultralow Energy Consumption and Zero-Gate Bias

Herein, it is reported the influence of solution processing and treatments, such as adding marginal solvent, ultrasonication, and UV treatment, on the resulting perovskite (CsPbBr3) quantum dot (QD)/poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) composite nanofibril films (CNFs) to improve the charge dissociation and photonic synaptic performance. A photonic synaptic transistor with CNFs can perform fundamental functions, including short-term plasticity, long-term plasticity, spike-number-dependent, and spike-time-dependent plasticity, to mimic sensing, computing, and memory functions. Notably, a synaptic device with CNFs presents an ultralow energy consumption of 0.18 fJ and zero-gate operation. The superior performance of synaptic devices with CNFs can be attributed to two factors: (i) homogeneous axial distribution of the QDs and (ii) the formation of P3HT nanofibrils and co-aggregates. Therefore, enhanced interfacial charge transfer between QDs and P3HT, ensuring decent carrier transport capability, is achieved. Collectively, the composite artificial synapse successfully provides an effective guide that offers a new perspective for the fabrication of one-dimensional self-assembled nanostructure-based artificial synapses emulating human-like memory, neuromorphic computing, and artificial intelligent systems.

Automated summary

This study investigates the influence of solution processing and treatments on perovskite quantum dot/polymer composite films, leading to improved photonic synaptic performance. The resulting synaptic devices demonstrate superior energy efficiency and operation without a gate, attributed to homogeneous QD distribution and formation of polymer nanofibrils and co-aggregates. These findings offer new insights for the fabrication of artificial synapses mimicking human-like memory and neuromorphic computing.