News Release: Scientists at NREL Report New Synapse-Like Phototransistor April 28, 2021 Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) developed a breakthrough in energy-efficient phototransistors. Such devices could eventually help computers process visual information more like the human brain and be used as sensors in things like self-driving vehicles. The structures rely on a new type of semiconductor—metal-halide perovskites—which have proven to be highly efficient at converting sunlight into electrical energy and shown tremendous promise in a range of other technologies. “In general, these perovskite semiconductors are a really unique functional system with potential benefits for a number of different technologies,” said Jeffrey Blackburn,