Dynamic Self-Rectifying Liquid Metal–Semiconductor Heterointerfaces: A Platform for Development of Bioinspired Afferent Systems

The assembly of geometrically complex and dynamically active liquid metal/semiconductor heterointerfaces has drawn extensive attention in multidimensional electronic systems. In this study the chemovoltaic driven reactions have enabled the microfluidity of hydrophobic galinstan into a three-dimensional (3D) semiconductor matrix. A dynamic heterointerface is developed between the atomically thin surface oxide of galinstan and the TiO2–Ni interface. Upon the growth of Ga2O3 film at the Ga2O3–TiO2 heterointerface, the partial reduction of the TiO2 film was confirmed by material characterization techniques. The conductance imaging spectroscopy and electrical measurements are used to investigate the charge transfer at heterointerfaces. Concurrently, the dynamic conductance in artificial synaptic junctions is modulated to mimic the biofunctional communication characteristics of multipolar neurons, including slow and fast inhibitory and excitatory postsynaptic responses. The self-rectifying characteristics, femtojoule energy processing, tunable synaptic events, and notably the coordinated signal recognition are the main characteristics of this multisynaptic device. This novel 3D design of liquid metal–semiconductor structure opens up new opportunities for the development of bioinspired afferent systems. It further facilitates the realization of physical phenomena at liquid metal–semiconductor heterointerfaces.