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Updated: Jan 7, 2026

Author Spotlight: Analyzing the Synaptic Ultrastructure in Mature Retinal Organoids Using TEM
Published on: June 7, 2024
A Retina-Inspired Organic Iono-Optoelectronic Synapse
Yazhou Wang1, Wentao Shan1, Hanrui Li2
1Organic Bioelectronics Laboratory, Biological and Environmental Science and Engineering Division, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Saudi Arabia.
Abstract:
Retina-inspired neuromorphic systems require seamless integration of light sensing and adaptive synaptic modulation, yet conventional materials fail to integrate ionic charge transport with optoelectronic signal processing. Organic iono-optoelectronic devices offer a promising solution by coupling the optoelectronic properties of conjugated polymers with ionic and electronic transport. Here, we present an organic iono-optoelectronic synapse enabled by a p-type mixed ionic-electronic conductor (OMIEC). The OMIEC material, gDPP-MeOT2, a donor-acceptor polymer comprising a thiophene-flanked diketopyrrolopyrrole acceptor and methoxy-bithiophene donor, serves simultaneously as a light absorber and an ion reservoir, enabling light-modulated mixed charge transport. Our iono-optoelectronic synapse exhibits broad-band light detection spanning the visible to near-infrared range and synaptic plasticity features central to learning processes of the human brain. These results suggest that OMIECs can unify light detection, logic operation, and energy-efficient information processing, paving the way for next generation biohybrid vision systems and bio-inspired neuromorphic electronics.
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