Flexible biomimetic olfactory neurons based on organic heterojunction

Abstract Simulating the human olfactory nervous system is one of the key issues in the field of neuromorphic computing. Olfactory neurons interact with gas molecules, transmitting and storing odor information to the olfactory center of the brain. In order to emulate the complex functionalities of olfactory neurons, this study presents a flexible olfactory synapse transistor (OST) based on pentacene/C8-BTBT organic heterojunction. By modulating the interface between the energy bands of the organic semiconductor layers, this device demonstrates high sensitivity (ppb level) and memory function for NH 3 sensing. Typical synaptic behaviors triggered by NH 3 pulses have been successfully demonstrated, such as inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSC), paired-pulse depression (PPD), long-term potentiation/depression (LTP/LTD), and transition from short-term depression (STD) to long-term depression (LTD). Furthermore, this device maintains stable olfactory synaptic functions even under different bending conditions, which can present new insights and possibilities for flexible synaptic systems and bio-inspired electronic products.