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

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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.

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The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars of China (T2125005), the National Key R&D Program of China (2022YFE0198200, 2022YFA1204500, and 2022YFA1204504), the Tianjin Science Foundation for Distinguished Young Scholars (19JCJQJC61000), the Shenzhen Science and Technology Project (JCYJ20210324121002008), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (62204131), and the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2023T160336).

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  1. Shangda Qu and Jiaqi Liu have contributed equally to the work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Photoelectronic Thin Film Devices and Technology of Tianjin, Institute of Photoelectronic Thin Film Devices and Technology, College of Electronic Information and Optical Engineering, Engineering Research Center of Thin Film Photoelectronic Technology of Ministry of Education, Smart Sensing Interdisciplinary Science Center, Nankai University, Tianjin, 300350, China

    Shangda Qu, Jiaqi Liu, Jiahe Hu, Lin Sun & Wentao Xu

  2. Shenzhen Research Institute of Nankai University, Shenzhen, 518000, China

    Shangda Qu, Jiaqi Liu, Jiahe Hu, Lin Sun & Wentao Xu

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  1. Shangda Qu
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Correspondence to Wentao Xu.

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Qu, S., Liu, J., Hu, J. et al. Flexible DPPT-TT/PEO Fiber-Exploiting Electro-optical Synaptic Transistor for Artificial Withdrawal Reflex Arc. Adv. Fiber Mater. 6, 401–413 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42765-023-00356-7

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