Synergistic Pyroelectric-Bolometric Coupling in Tellurene Nanowire for Energy-Efficient Artificial Vision

Thermal-energy harvesting, which converts heat into electrical signals, offers a promising route toward sustainable energy utilization. However, achieving efficient and stable thermal-electrical conversion in low-dimensional materials remains challenging. Although few-layer Tellurene (Te) exhibits pyroelectricity owing to intrinsic broken symmetry, this effect is confined to the trilayer limit, -restricting its practical applications. Here, we demonstrate that Te nanowires (Te NWs) overcome this limitation through edge-induced symmetry breaking, enabling robust and persistent pyroelectric polarization. Under photothermal excitation, Te NWs exhibit a synergistic pyroelectric-bolometric coupling, wherein photothermal modulation of polarization and resistance cooperatively enhances the thermally driven photocurrent. Without external bias, the device operates in a fully self-driven mode, exhibiting excitatory synaptic responses governed solely by thermally driven charge dynamics. With biases, the response becomes bidirectional, emulating both excitatory and inhibitory synaptic characteristics. Leveraging these dual mechanisms, a Te NW-based artificial vision system achieves 97% digit recognition accuracy through light-driven learning without external electrical bias, demonstrating energy-efficient, self-stimulated neuromorphic functionality. This work establishes Te NWs as a promising material platform that bridges thermal-energy harvesting, bioinspired sensing, and self-stimulated neuromorphic computing.