Photo-iontronics: mechanisms and manipulation for neuromorphic vision

Biological visual systems utilize ions as information carriers and enable efficient, adaptive information processing at the retinal level via complex ion dynamic processes. This provides crucial inspiration for addressing the energy efficiency and latency bottlenecks inherent in von Neumann architecture-based visual systems. Further development of the photo-iontronics field relies on the in-depth understanding and systematic regulation of various photo-ion coupling mechanisms. Its core lies in revealing the inherent laws of interfacial ion dynamics and, on this basis, establishing rational design criteria for device performance. This research framework will facilitate the realization of functionally customizable ion devices, providing a new hardware foundation for processing complex visual information. In this context, this review systematically examines the transition from mimicking biological functions to a mechanism-driven design framework for photo-iontronic devices. We analyze their application potential in machine vision and bio-integrated neural interfaces, outline the key challenges and future directions.