Magnetic skyrmions:Basic properties and potential applications

Magnetic skyrmions are particle-like topological magnetic textures that are potential information carriers in future spintronics.An enormous body of research confirms their existence in a broad range of magnetic materials since their first discovery in 2009.To date,magnetic skyrmions can not only be found in asymmetric systems but also in centrosymmetric ones.Notably,engineered magnetic multilayers are promising structures for skyrmion-based spintronics because they can stabilize small-sized skyrmions at room temperature and facilitate their electric manipulation.In this overview,we introduce the topological nature,their special properties,and nucleation methods of skyrmions,and show their potential for applications.Perspectives on skyrmionic devices and developments toward other,more three-dimensional particle-like magnetic nanostructures,are discussed at the end.

Strong optical nonlinearities of self-assembled polymorphic microstructures of phenylethynyl functionalized fluorenones

Highly efficient nonlinear optical（NLO） materials with well-defined architectures in the wavelength and subwavelength length scales are of particular importance for next generation of integrated photonic circuits. Fluorenone analogues have been demonstrated to be promising candidates as building blocks for assembly of organic NLO materials thanks to their synergistic supramolecular interactions and brilliant optical properties. Here we have studied the polymorphs of a phenylethynyl functionalized fluorenone derivative, and their controlled self-assembly for microstructures with different morphologies. These polymorphic microcrystals exhibit very distinctive NLO properties, highly related to their supramolecular and electronic structures.

Solvent induced enhancement of nonlinear optical response of graphdiyne

Flat and crystalline materials with exceptional nonlinear optical(NLO) properties are highly desirable for their potential applications in integrated NLO photonic devices.Graphdiyne(GD),a new twodimensional(2 D) carbon allotrope,has recently evoked burgeoning research attention by virtue of its tunable bandgap along with a high carrier mobility and extended π-conjugation compared with most conventional optical materials.Here,we experimentally probe the third-order nonlinear optical response of GD dispersed in several common solvents(alcohols) using a femtosecond Z-scan technique.The measured nonlinear optical refractive index is in the order of ~10^(-8) cm^(2)/W,which is approximately one order of magnitude higher than that of most 2 D materials.In particular,we find that different NLO responses can be observed from GD when dispersed in different solvents,with the strongest NLO response when dispersed in 1-propanol.It is proposed that some intrinsic properties of the solvents,such as the polarity and viscosity,could influence the NLO response of GD materials.Our experimental results confirm the assumptions on the NLO behavior in GD and demonstrate its great potential for future generations of Kerr-effect-based NLO materials and devices.