Photocurrent plot in the Fig 3.

Photoelectrical stimulation of cells and neural modulation via the separation of photo-induced electrical charges in photocapacitor structures have proven effective and biocompatible for therapeutic applications, such as retinal prostheses. Recent advances in photovoltaic materials and device architectures, particularly the use of pixelated photoelectrodes, have enabled high-resolution modulation of neuronal transmembrane potentials. Upon illumination, photo-induced dipoles and excitons in semiconductor layers generate localized electric fields that interact with the cell membrane to trigger stimulation. Polarization-modulated light dynamically alters the orientation of these dipoles, modulating field orientation and enhancing light–matter coupling at the membrane interface. This effect is especially pronounced in anisotropic media or aqueous environments, where polarization control enables deeper, more focused light penetration. Our framework combines (1) a photocapacitive mechanism that displaces charge across the cell membrane through excitonic microdomain redistribution in the photovoltaic hybrid and (2) an electrostatic force from photo-induced dipoles near the cell. These effects are embedded in an equivalent-circuit model that links optical inputs (intensity and polarization) to the device’s open-circuit voltage (VOC) and photocurrent (Iph), and subsequently to the resulting membrane potential (Vm). Using the PCE12:ITIC-based solar cell platform, we experimentally demonstrate polarization-dependent modulation of photovoltage and photocurrent, and directly correlate these effects with intracellular calcium dynamics. Calcium imaging of hippocampal neurons revealed robust, stimulus-locked ΔF/F₀ transients on PCE12:ITIC substrates under light stimulation, in contrast to minimal responses on control ITO films, confirming that polarization-modulated excitonic processes drive physiologically relevant changes in neuronal signaling. Moreover, we highlight how dipole–membrane coupling provides a conceptual and functional link between neuromodulation and quantum logic systems, especially when realized through nanocrystal-based harmonic oscillators. InP-ZnO nanoclusters exhibit selective responses to left circularly polarized (LCP) light, offering pixel-wise selectivity for color-encoded retinal stimulation. Bioinspired anisotropic quantum dot arrays, modeled after polarization-sensitive ommatidia in bee eyes, enable spatially selective neuromodulation and programmable bio-optoelectronic interfaces.

通过光电容器（photocapacitor）结构中光生电荷分离实现的细胞光电刺激与神经调控，已在视网膜假体（retinal prostheses）等治疗应用中被证实兼具有效性与生物相容性。
近年来光伏材料与器件架构的进步，尤其是像素化光电极（pixelated photoelectrodes）的应用，实现了对神经元跨膜电位（neuronal transmembrane potentials）的高分辨率调控。光照下，半导体层中的光致偶极子（photo-induced dipoles）与激子（excitons）会产生局域电场（localized electric fields），与细胞膜（cell membrane）相互作用以触发刺激。偏振调制光（polarization-modulated light）可动态改变这些偶极子的取向，调控电场方向并增强膜界面处的光-物质耦合效应。该效应在各向异性介质（anisotropic media）或水环境（aqueous environments）中尤为显著，此时偏振控制可实现更深、更聚焦的光穿透。
本研究框架整合了两种机制：（1）通过光伏杂化体系（photovoltaic hybrid）中激子微区再分布，使电荷跨细胞膜位移的光电容机制（photocapacitive mechanism）；（2）细胞附近光致偶极子产生的静电力。这些效应被嵌入等效电路模型（equivalent-circuit model）中，该模型将光学输入（光强与偏振）与器件的开路电压（open-circuit voltage, VOC）、光电流（photocurrent, Iph）相关联，进而关联至最终的膜电位（membrane potential, Vm）。
在基于PCE12:ITIC的太阳能电池平台上，我们通过实验证实了光电压与光电流的偏振依赖性调控，并将这些效应与细胞内钙动力学（intracellular calcium dynamics）直接关联。对海马神经元（hippocampal neurons）的钙成像结果显示，在光照刺激下，PCE12:ITIC衬底上可观测到稳定的、与刺激锁相的ΔF/F₀瞬态信号；与之形成对比的是，对照氧化铟锡（ITO）薄膜上的响应极微弱，这证实偏振调制的激子过程驱动了神经元信号传导中具有生理相关性的变化。
此外，我们阐释了偶极子-细胞膜耦合如何为神经调控与量子逻辑系统（quantum logic systems）搭建概念与功能上的桥梁，尤其当该耦合通过纳米晶体基谐波振荡器（nanocrystal-based harmonic oscillators）实现时。磷化铟-氧化锌（InP-ZnO）纳米团簇对左旋圆偏振（LCP）光具有选择性响应，可为颜色编码视网膜刺激（color-encoded retinal stimulation）提供像素级选择性。受蜜蜂复眼中偏振敏感小眼（polarization-sensitive ommatidia）启发的仿生各向异性量子点阵列（bioinspired anisotropic quantum dot arrays），可实现空间选择性神经调控与可编程生物光电子接口（programmable bio-optoelectronic interfaces）。