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Neuromorphic computing employs a great number of artificial synapses which transfer information between neurons. Conventional two‐ or three‐terminal artificial synapses with homosynaptic plasticity suffer from a positive feedback loop problem. Synapses with heterosynaptic plasticity are thus required to perform learning, processing and modulating simultaneously. Here, complementary metal‐oxide‐semiconductor compatible artificial synapses based on ferroelectric polarization modulated Schottky diodes (FEMOD) on silicon, which enables heterosynaptic plasticity with multi‐functionalities, high endurance, low power consumption, and high speed, are presented. High accuracy is obtained in the supervised learning simulation of artificial neural networks due to the large number of conductance states, good linearity, and small variations of FEMOD synapses. Boolean functions are demonstrated with only one or two FEMOD devices operating at low voltage and low power consumption. The proposed device structure performs multi‐functions of biological synapse and Boolean logic, thus provides high potential for the future large scale and low power neuromorphic computing applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Liquid metals (LMs) have attracted great attentions in electronics for great interface contact and flowability. Here, an LM‐gated tribotronic transistor (LMTT) is demonstrated, in which an electrostatic potential is created through the triboelectrification of LM and dielectric layer, and the carrier transport between drain and source can be tuned by the swing‐induced electrostatic potential instead of the traditional gate voltage. Based on the fabricated LMTTs, an electronic gradienter is developed, which can be used for angle measurement and exhibits a great sensitivity, large sensing range, and excellent stability. This work has first introduced the LM into the tribotronic device, which may have potential applications in mechanical calibration, civil engineering, and geologic exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Growing demand in automobile safety system raises a requirement to electronic devices being self‐powered, stable, and durable. Herein, a self‐powered Hall vehicle sensor (SPHVS) is demonstrated for automobile safety system, which integrates the triboelectric nanogenerator, the management circuit, the magnet, and the Hall element. The tribotronic constant current source is proposed to steadily power the Hall element in rotational motion at any different speeds. Furthermore, the performances of the SPHVS for vehicle speed sensing and vehicle braking monitoring are systematically investigated, which exhibits wide sensing range, great stability, and excellent sensitivity. This work clearly proposes a promising solution for speed sensing and braking monitoring, and indicates the potential applications of power tribotronics for the self‐powered electronic devices in prospective automobile industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ocean waves are one of the most promising renewable energy sources for large‐scope applications. Recently, triboelectric nanogenerator (TENG) network has been demonstrated to effectively harvest water wave energy possibly toward large‐scale blue energy. However, the absence of effective power management severely restricts the practicability of TENGs. In this work, a hexagonal TENG network consisting of spherical TENG units based on spring‐assisted multilayered structure, integrated with a power management module (PMM), is constructed for harvesting water wave energy. The output performance of the TENG network is found to be determined by water wave frequencies and amplitudes, as well as the wave type. Moreover, with the implemented PMM, the TENG network could output a steady and continuous direct current (DC) voltage on the load resistance, and the stored energy is dramatically improved by up to 96 times for charging a capacitor. The TENG network integrated with the PMM is also applied to effectively power a digital thermometer and a wireless transmitter. The thermometer can constantly measure the water temperature with the water wave motions, and the transmitter can send signals that enable an alarm to go off once every 10 s. This study extends the application of the power management module in the water wave energy harvesting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Security monitoring and precaution for private information and property plays a key role in the smart home system. In this work, a triboelectric nanogenerator‐based active sliding sensor is demonstrated which can monitor the position, displacement, velocity, and direction of a contact sliding objects. The device consists of a mover and a stator which operate in sliding mode. Two aligned column arrays of copper electrodes are coated on the substrate as the mover, while two interdigitated copper electrode pairs with relative position shift are coated under a polytetrafluoroethylene film as the stator. The experimental results show that a single device can generate a voltage of about 5 V at a resistance load of 60 MΩ at a sliding velocity of 0.5 m s–1. The sliding sensor can detect an ultralow velocity in 0.001 m s–1 as well as the sliding direction of the mover. The sensor can be fixed on the drawer and door to detect the motion parameters which are sent to a remote client application for security monitoring in smart home systems. The proposed sliding sensor has great potential in the Internet of things, personal motion feature recognition, and meandering trajectory tracking. The interdigitated electrode‐based triboelectric sliding sensor (IETSS) for security monitoring can monitor the position, displacement, velocity, and direction of an in‐plane motion object. The IETSS can be fixed on the drawer and door to detect the motion parameters which are sent to a remote client application for security monitoring in smart home systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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