Abstract
As a type of promising hardware for next-generation artificial visual systems with extended perceptual and anti-interference capabilities, circular-polarization-resolved retinomorphic sensors are underexplored due to the lack of suitable chiral materials that enable highly dissymmetric circular-polarization responses and multiple biomimetic functions. Here, we demonstrate a self-assembly heterogeneous microstructure consisting of chiral-deficient grains and chiral-rich grain boundaries in chiral perovskites that simultaneously facilitate spin selectivity and optoelectronic properties for highly dissymmetric and multifunctional circular-polarization-resolved retinomorphic sensors. Our sensors not only exhibit a photocurrent dissymmetry factor as high as 1.98 and a panchromatic circular-polarization-resolved response, but also possess multiple biomimetic functions that simulate human retinas, including synaptic behaviors, light adaptation, and color recognition. As a proof-of-concept, we respectively demonstrate their applications using a sensor array that resolves a single circular-polarization handedness for information encryption, as well as binocular sensor arrays that resolve the opposite circular-polarization handedness for virtual stereoscopic reconstruction.
Similar content being viewed by others
Data availability
Data generated in this study are provided in the Source Data file or upon request from the corresponding authors. Source data are provided with this paper.
References
Long, Z. et al. Biomimetic optoelectronics with nanomaterials for artificial vision. Nat. Rev. Mater. 10, 128–146 (2024).
Chen, W. et al. Retinomorphic optoelectronic devices for intelligent machine vision. iScience 25, 103729 (2022).
Zhou, F. et al. Near-sensor and in-sensor computing. Nat. Electron. 3, 664–671 (2020).
Luo, X. et al. A bionic self-driven retinomorphic eye with ionogel photosynaptic retina. Nat. Commun. 15, 3086 (2024).
Tan, H. et al. Dynamic machine vision with retinomorphic photomemristor-reservoir computing. Nat. Commun. 14, 2169 (2023).
Wang, C. et al. Strain-insensitive viscoelastic perovskite film for intrinsically stretchable neuromorphic vision-adaptive transistors. Nat. Commun. 15, 3123 (2024).
Zhu, Q.B. et al. A flexible ultrasensitive optoelectronic sensor array for neuromorphic vision systems. Nat. Commun. 12, 1798 (2021).
Crassous, J. et al. Materials for chiral light control. Nat. Rev. Mater. 8, 365–371 (2023).
Liu, Q. et al. Chiral Perovskite Nanowire Optoelectronic Synapse for Full-Stokes Polarization-Resolved Perception and Reservoir Computing. Adv. Funct. Mater. 35, 2415551 (2025).
Chang, S. et al. Advanced visual components inspired by animal eyes. Nanophotonics 13, 859–879 (2024).
Liu, Q. et al. Circular polarization-resolved ultraviolet photonic artificial synapse based on chiral perovskite. Nat. Commun. 14, 7179 (2023).
Namgung, S. D. et al. Circularly polarized light-sensitive, hot electron transistor with chiral plasmonic nanoparticles. Nat. Commun. 13, 5081 (2022).
Wen, W. et al. Biomimetic nanocluster photoreceptors for adaptative circular polarization vision. Nat. Commun. 15, 2397 (2024).
Zhang, Y. et al. Chiroptical organic heterojunction synaptic phototransistor exhibiting near-theoretical limit asymmetry factor for neuromorphic cryptography. Matter 8, 101945 (2025).
Long, G. et al. Chiral-perovskite optoelectronics. Nat. Rev. Mater. 5, 423–439 (2020).
Lu, H. et al. Control of light, spin and charge with chiral metal halide semiconductors. Nat. Rev. Chem. 6, 470–485 (2022).
Pietropaolo, A. et al. Rationalizing the design and implementation of chiral hybrid perovskites. Chem 8, 1231–1253 (2022).
He, S. et al. Perovskite spin light-emitting diodes with simultaneously high electroluminescence dissymmetry and high external quantum efficiency. Nat. Commun. 16, 2201 (2025).
Chen, Q. et al. Manipulating perovskite structural asymmetry for high-performing self-powered full-stokes polarimetry. Sci. Adv. 11, eads6123 (2025).
Wang, Y. Q. et al. Recent advances in spin-leds based on chiral nanomaterials: bridging fundamental physics, materials, and devices performance.Adv. Optical Mater.13, e02273 (2025).
Bloom, B. P. et al. Chiral induced spin selectivity. Chem. Rev. 124, 1950–1991 (2024).
Yang, L. et al. Spin detector for panchromatic circularly polarized light detection. Nat. Commun. 16, 4161 (2025).
Lu, H. et al. Highly distorted chiral two-dimensional tin iodide perovskites for spin polarized charge transport. J. Am. Chem. Soc. 142, 13030–13040 (2020).
Vasilopoulou, M. et al. Neuromorphic computing based on halide perovskites. Nat. Electron. 6, 949–962 (2023).
Liu, A. et al. High-performance metal halide perovskite transistors. Nat. Electron. 6, 559–571 (2023).
Pazos, S. et al. Solution-processed memristors: performance and reliability. Nat. Rev. Mater. 9, 358–373 (2024).
Wang, Y. et al. Chiral perovskite heterostructure films of cspbbr3 quantum dots and 2d chiral perovskite with circularly polarized luminescence performance and energy transfer. ACS Nano 18, 22334–22343 (2024).
Lu, R. et al. Spacer cation alloying enables markedly improved chiroptical properties of two-dimensional chiral hybrid perovskite nanosheets. Adv. Optical Mater. 11, 2202290 (2023).
Cho, S. W. et al. Progress of materials and devices for neuromorphic vision sensors. Nano-Micro Lett. 14, 203 (2022).
Zhang, F. et al. Photoinduced nonvolatile memory transistor based on lead-free perovskite incorporating fused π-conjugated organic ligands. Adv. Mater. 36, 2307326 (2024).
Zhu, H. et al. High-performance hysteresis-free perovskite transistors through anion engineering. Nat. Commun. 13, 1741 (2022).
Zhu, H. et al. Tin perovskite transistors and complementary circuits based on A-site cation engineering. Nat. Electron. 6, 650–657 (2023).
Liu, T. H. et al. Suppression of tin oxidation via sn→b bonding interactions for high-resolution lead-free perovskite neuromorphic imaging sensors. Adv. Mater. 37, 2502015 (2025).
Sun, Y. et al. Photoelectric synaptic plasticity realized by 2d perovskite. Adv. Funct. Mater. 29, 1902538 (2019).
Wang, Y. et al. Monolithic 2D perovskites enabled artificial photonic synapses for neuromorphic vision sensors. Adv. Mater. 36, 2311524 (2024).
Rong, Y. et al. Perovskite thin-film transistors for ultra-low-voltage neuromorphic visions. Adv. Sci. 11, 2410015 (2024).
Ding, Z. et al. Structure-guided approaches for enhanced spin-splitting in chiral perovskite. JACS Au 4, 1263–1277 (2024).
Hao, M. et al. Nanoscopic cross-grain cation homogenization in perovskite solar cells. Nat. Nanotechnol. 20, 630–638 (2025).
Zhu, H. et al. High-performance and reliable lead-free layered-perovskite transistors. Adv. Mater. 32, 2002717 (2020).
Fang, H. et al. Photogating in low dimensional photodetectors. Adv. Sci. 4, 1700323 (2017).
Lee, H. et al. Chiroptical synaptic heterojunction phototransistors based on self-assembled nanohelix of π-conjugated molecules for direct noise-reduced detection of circularly polarized light. Adv. Sci. 10, 2304039 (2023).
Kim, Y.H. et al. Chiral-induced spin selectivity enables a room-temperature spin light-emitting diode. Science 371, 1129–1133 (2021).
Yang, Z. et al. A vision chip with complementary pathways for open-world sensing. Nature 629, 1027–1033 (2024).
Lai, J. et al. Spacer engineering enables fine-tuned thin film microstructure and efficient charge transport for ultrasensitive 2d perovskite-based heterojunction phototransistors and optoelectronic synapses. Small 20, 2310002 (2024).
He, Z. et al. Perovskite retinomorphic image sensor for embodied intelligent vision. Sci. Adv. 11, eads2834 (2025).
Kim, H. et al. Chiroptical synaptic perovskite memristor as reconfigurable physical unclonable functions. ACS Nano 19, 691–703 (2024).
Yang, P. et al. High polarization-sensitive synaptic transistor based on perovskite nanowire array for efficient biometric recognition. Adv. Funct. Mater. 35, 2416954 (2024).
Kresse, G. et al. Efficient iterative schemes for ab initio total-energy calculations using a plane-wave basis set. Phys. Rev. B 54, 11169–11186 (1996).
Kohn, W. et al. Self-consistent equations including exchange and correlation effects. Phys. Rev. 140, A1133–A1138 (1965).
Perdew, J. P. et al. Generalized gradient approximation made simple. Phys. Rev. Lett. 77, 3865–3868 (1996).
Grimme, S. et al. A consistent and accurate ab initio parametrization of density functional dispersion correction (DFT-D) for the 94 elements H-Pu. J. Chem. Phys. 132, 154104. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.3382344 (2010).
Kresse, G. et al. Efficiency of ab-initio total energy calculations for metals and semiconductors using a plane-wave basis set. Computational Mater. Sci. 6, 15–50 (1996).
Blöchl, P. E. Projector augmented-wave method. Phys. Rev. B 50, 17953–17979 (1994).
Kresse, G. et al. From ultrasoft pseudopotentials to the projector augmented-wave method. Phys. Rev. B 59, 1758–1775 (1999).
Wu, L. et al. First-principles characterization of two-dimensional (CH3(CH2)3NH3)2(CH3NH3)n−1GenI3n+1 perovskite. J. Mater. Chem. A 6, 24389–24396 (2018).
Jain, A. et al. Commentary: The Materials Project: A materials genome approach to accelerating materials innovation. APL Materials 1, 011002. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.4812323 (2013).
Acknowledgements
This work is supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China: 2023YFB2806704 (Y.C. and Q.S.) and 2024YFB2809200 (Q.S.); the National Natural Science Foundation of China: 62575086 (Y.C.), 12334016 (Q.S.), and 52302164 (K.S.); the Guangdong Basic and Applied Basic Research Foundation: 2023B1515020032 (Y.C.); the Shenzhen Fundamental research project: RCYX20221008092847060 (Y.C.); the New Cornerstone Science Foundation through the XPLORER PRIZE (Q.S.); the Financial Support for Outstanding scientific and technological innovation Talents Training Fund in Shenzhen (Q.S.)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Contributions
Y.C. and Q.S. conceived the idea. T.W., K.S., H.Z., S.B., and Y.C. supervised the project and wrote the manuscript. D.Y., X.Z., T.W., R.H., Z.X., J.T., X.M.Z., H.H., and T.Z. prepared the materials, fabricated the devices, and performed the characterizations. Y.Z and Y.L. carried out theoretical calculations. D.Y., X.Z., T.W., R.H., Z.X., J.T., X.M.Z., H.H., T.Z., H.L., A.L., K.S., S.B., H.Z., Y.C., and Q.S. contributed to analyzing the data and commenting on the manuscript.
Corresponding authors
Ethics declarations
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
Peer review
Peer review information
Nature Communications thanks Seung Ju Kim and the other anonymous reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work. A peer review file is available.
Additional information
Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Supplementary information
Source data
Rights and permissions
Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material derived from this article or parts of it. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/.
About this article
Cite this article
Yu, D., Zhang, X., Wang, T. et al. Spin-selective heterogeneous chiral perovskites for circular-polarization-resolved retinomorphic sensors. Nat Commun (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-71190-9
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-71190-9


