Engineering halogen-doped carbon dots for enhanced bioinspired synapses toward neuromorphic computing and neural...

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Neuroscience
• Computer Engineering

Background:

• Memristor-based artificial synapses are crucial for advanced neuromorphic computing and human-machine interaction.
• Current artificial synapses face challenges in mimicking biological systems and achieving seamless integration.
• Carbon dots (CDs) offer potential for memristor applications but require performance optimization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance the performance of carbon dot (CD)-based memristors for artificial synapses through halogen doping.
• To investigate the impact of different halogen dopants (Fluorine, Chlorine, Bromine) on memristor characteristics.
• To demonstrate the potential of optimized memristors in neuromorphic computing and direct neural interfacing.

Main Methods:

• Synthesis of undoped CDs (UCDs) and halogen-doped CDs (FCDs, ClCDs, BrCDs) using a solvothermal method.
• Systematic characterization of synthesized materials and fabricated memristors.
• Experimental and computational analysis of electron trapping/detrapping mechanisms and synaptic plasticity mimicry.

Main Results:

• Bromine doping (BrCDs) optimally modulated the electronic structure of CDs, leading to superior memristor performance.
• The BrCDs-based memristor successfully mimicked short-term and long-term plasticity, demonstrating high efficiency in image classification.
• The BrCDs device enabled direct neural interfacing, triggering dopamine release and Ca2+ responses in PC12 cells.

Conclusions:

• Halogen doping, particularly with Bromine, significantly enhances the performance of carbon dot memristors for artificial synapses.
• BrCDs-based memristors show great promise for integrated neuromorphic computing and adaptive learning functionalities.
• This approach bridges the gap between electronic devices and biological neural systems, paving the way for advanced neural interfaces.