Chitosan-Based Polysaccharide-Gated Flexible Indium Tin Oxide Synaptic Transistor with Learning Abilities

Recently, environment-friendly electronic devices are attracting increasing interest. “Green” artificial synapses with learning abilities are also interesting for neuromorphic platforms. Here, solution-processed chitosan-based polysaccharide electrolyte-gated indium tin oxide (ITO) synaptic transistors are fabricated on polyethylene terephthalate substrate. Good transistor performances against mechanical stress are observed. Short-term synaptic plasticities are mimicked on the proposed ITO synaptic transistor. When applying presynaptic and postsynaptic spikes on gate electrode and drain electrode respectively, spike-timing-dependent plasticity function is mimicked on the synaptic transistor. Transitions from sensory memory to short-term memory (STM) and from STM to long-term memory are also mimicked, demonstrating a “multistore model” brain memory. Furthermore, the flexible ITO synaptic transistor can be dissolved in deionized water easily, indicating potential green neuromorphic platform applications.