Ultraviolet-selective organic phototransistors for low-power skin-inspired nociceptor

Abstract

Skin-inspired nociceptors are particularly important for future neurorobotic technology. In this work, an artificial skin nociceptor based on ultraviolet (UV)-selective C8-BTBT phototransistors was reported. By using polymethyl methacrylate as an interfacial modification layer, a large number of standing crystals appeared in the C8-BTBT film, and the photo-dark current ratio of the devices exceeded the value of 1010. The main biological synaptic behaviors of the devices under UV light stimuli were also thoroughly investigated. Interestingly, the minimum power consumption per synaptic event (2.45 fJ) is comparable to the energy required by the biological synapses. The biological behavior of the skin-inspired nociceptor was further simulated, such as allodynia, hyperalgesia, and the self-protection behavior under UV light stimulation. Finally, as a proof of concept, the skin-inspired nociceptor was proposed to be integrated with the UV-transmittance modulator to protect against excess UV stimulation, which fully demonstrated its potential applications in bionic electronics technology.