Self-Adaptive Polarized Photoresponse in Organic Single-Crystal Phototransistors for Bionic Night-Time Polarization Perception.

Pan, Jing; Chen, Shuai; Chen, Shuang; Wang, Jinwen; Su, Mingming; Jia, Ruofei; Jie, Jiansheng; Zhang, Xiujuan · Adv Mater · 2025

basic_science · Level V

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Abstract

The emerging semiconductor micro/nanocrystals with intrinsic anisotropy have provided new perspectives for low-cost and simplified polarimetry. However, the low polarization sensitivity of state-of-the-art polarimeters based on anisotropic semiconductors under weak and partially polarized light severely hinders their practical application in complex dim environments. Here, a photo-adaptive polarization-sensitive organic phototransistor (POL-OPT) is demonstrated for bionic weak-light polarization perception. The combination of highly anisotropic organic crystals with charge-storage accumulative effect enables a self-adaptive polarized photoresponse of the phototransistor to imitate the bionic scotopic adaptation process. Consequently, an ultrahigh dichroic ratio (DR) of over 10<sup>5</sup> is achieved through time accumulation under an ultraweak light intensity of 200 nW cm<sup>-2</sup>, which is among the highest in polarization-sensitive photodetectors. Furthermore, POL-OPT array is constructed for effective polarization perception in an artificial moonlit environment with a low degree of linear polarization (DoLP) down to 0.26, reaching the detection threshold of night-active dung beetles. This study offers a new opportunity for the development of new-generation high-performance polarimeters for polarization imaging, bionic navigation, and artificial visual systems.