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Photoelectric synaptic devices have been considered as one of the key components in artificial neuromorphic systems due to their excellent capability to emulate the functions of visual neurons, such as light perception and image processing. Herein, we demonstrate an optically-stimulated artificial synapse with a clear photoresponse from ultraviolet to visible light, which is established on a novel heterostructure consisting of monocrystalline Cs2AgBiBr6 perovskite and indium-gallium-zinc oxide (IGZO) thin film. As compared with pure IGZO, the heterostructure significantly enhances the photoresponse and corresponding synaptic plasticity of the devices, which originate from the superior visible absorption of single-crystal Cs2AgBiBr6 and effective interfacial charge transfer from Cs2AgBiBr6 to IGZO. A variety of synaptic behaviors are realized on the fabricated thin-film transistors, including excitatory postsynaptic current, paired pulse facilitation, short-term, and long-term plasticity. Furthermore, an artificial neural network is simulated based on the photonic potentiation and electrical depression effects of synaptic devices, and an accuracy rate up to 83.8% ± 1.2% for pattern recognition is achieved. This finding promises a simple and efficient way to construct photoelectric synaptic devices with tunable spectrum for future neuromorphic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Broken-gap (type-III) two-dimensional (2D) van der Waals heterostructures (vdWHs) offer an ideal platform for interband tunneling devices due to their broken-gap band offset and sharp band edge. Here, we demonstrate an efficient control of energy band alignment in a typical type-III vdWH, which is composed of vertically-stacked molybdenum telluride (MoTe2) and tin diselenide (SnSe2), via both electrostatic and optical modulation. By a single electrostatic gating with hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN) as the dielectric, a variety of electrical transport characteristics including forward rectifying, Zener tunneling, and backward rectifying are realized on the same heterojunction at low gate voltages of ±1 V. In particular, the heterostructure can function as an Esaki tunnel diode with a room-temperature negative differential resistance. This great tunability originates from the atomically-flat and inert surface of h-BN that significantly suppresses the interfacial trap scattering and strain effects. Upon the illumination of an 885 nm laser, the band alignment of heterojunction can be further tuned to facilitate the direct tunneling of photogenerated charge carriers, which leads to a high photocurrent on/off ratio of > 105 and a competitive photodetectivity of 1.03 × 1012 Jones at zero bias. Moreover, the open-circuit voltage of irradiated heterojunction can be switched from positive to negative at opposite gate voltages, revealing a transition from accumulation mode to depletion mode. Our findings not only promise a simple strategy to tailor the bands of type-III vdWHs but also provide an in-depth understanding of interlayer tunneling for future low-power electronic and optoelectronic applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Powdered-acid-activated-neutralized red mud (Aan-RM), the chemico-physically modified product of red mud, was for the first time employed with hydroxypropyl methylcellulose and powdered straw as the main ingredients for granular Aan-RM production for phosphate removal. In order to better understand the phosphate adsorption characteristics of granular Aan-RM, the influence of operational parameters on the performance of granular Aan-RM and the possible adsorption mechanisms involved were investigated. The results demonstrated that the adsorbent dosage, adsorption temperature, and initial solution pH influenced the adsorption performance of granular Aan-RM significantly. The maximum phosphate adsorption capacity of granular Aan-RM reached 153.227 mg/g with the granular Aan-RM dosage of 3.0 g/L, adsorption temperature of 40 °C, and initial solution pH of 6.0. The whole adsorption process was well described by nth-order kinetic model and Langmuir-Freundlich isotherm. Meanwhile, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis of P 2p peak on granular Aan-RM after phosphate adsorption demonstrated that 79.01 % of the phosphate was adsorbed through precipitation and ion exchange mechanisms with strong chemical bonds, and 20.99 % of the phosphate was adsorbed through surface deposition mechanism with weak chemical bonds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper, a platinum coating was deposited on titanium alloy substrate by a double glow plasma. Phase and microstructure of platinum coating were examined by X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy, respectively. The microhardness of the coating was estimated by nanoindentation instrument. The adhesive force between the coating and the substrate was performed with scratch tester. The electrochemical behavior of the platinum coating in 3.5 wt % sodium chloride solution was investigated by potentiodynamic polarization. The results indicated that an adherent platinum coating could be successfully obtained on titanium alloy substrates. Compared with the titanium alloy substrate, the platinum coating had a relative low corrosion current density and high corrosion potential. It indicated that the platinum coating had a better corrosion resistance than the titanium alloy substrate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]