Mixed-Dimensional Chiral COF-2D Molecular Crystal Heterojunctions for Neuromorphic Circular Polarization Vision.

Area of Science:

• Optoelectronics
• Materials Science
• Biomimetic Computing

Background:

• Biological visual systems excel at processing circularly polarized light (CPL).
• Artificial systems struggle to integrate chiral sensing, exciton dissociation, and neuromorphic processing for CPL perception.
• Current optoelectronic materials lack the necessary capabilities for advanced CPL-driven applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To overcome limitations in artificial CPL perception and processing.
• To develop an integrated material platform for CPL-driven neuromorphic vision.
• To bridge chiral photonics with bioinspired computing.

Main Methods:

• Fabrication of a mixed-dimensional heterojunction integrating a 3D chiral covalent organic framework (COF) with a 2D molecular crystal (2DMC).
• Construction of a type-II band-aligned interface using a β-ketoenamine-linked TpPa-COF and a dithienothiophene-based 2DMC.
• Configuration of the chiroptical synaptic transistor into a 3x3 convolutional kernel array.

Main Results:

• Achieved directional, ultrafast interlayer charge transfer and efficient exciton dissociation.
• Demonstrated a record polarization discrimination ratio (g_EPSC = 0.73) and high photoresponsivity (7.7 × 10³ A W^-1).
• Improved noisy image classification accuracy from 51.5% to 71.2% on the CIFAR-10 dataset using in-sensor noise reduction and feature extraction.

Conclusions:

• The developed heterojunction architecture successfully integrates chiral sensing, exciton dissociation, and neuromorphic processing for CPL.
• This work presents a novel material platform for CPL-driven neuromorphic vision, advancing bioinspired computing.
• The findings pave the way for transformative opportunities in advanced imaging, quantum communication, and autonomous navigation.