Miniature tunable Airy beam optical meta-device

Tunable Airy beams with controllable propagation trajectories have sparked interest in various fields,such as optical manipulation and laser fabrication.Existing research approaches encounter challenges related to insufficient compactness and integration feasibility,or they require enhanced tunability to enable real-time dynamic manipulation of the propagation trajectory.In this work,we present a novel method that utilizes a dual metasurface system to surpass these limitations,significantly enhancing the practical potential of the Airy beam.Our approach involves encoding a cubic phase profile and two off-axis Fresnel lens phase profiles across the two metasurfaces.The validity of the proposed strategy has been confirmed through simulation and experimental results.The proposed meta-device addresses the existing limitations and lays the foundation for broadening the applicability of Airy beams across diverse domains,encompassing light-sheet microscopy,laser fabrication,optical tweezers,etc.

The Combined Effect of Spin-Transfer Torque and Voltage-Controlled Strain Gradient on Magnetic Domain-Wall Dynamics:Toward Tunable Spintronic Neuron

Magnetic domain wall(DW), as one of the promising information carriers in spintronic devices, have been widely investigated owing to its nonlinear dynamics and tunable properties. Here, we theoretically and numerically demonstrate the DW dynamics driven by the synergistic interaction between current-induced spin-transfer torque(STT) and voltage-controlled strain gradient(VCSG) in multiferroic heterostructures. Through electromechanical and micromagnetic simulations, we show that a desirable strain gradient can be created and it further modulates the equilibrium position and velocity of the current-driven DW motion. Meanwhile, an analytical Thiele's model is developed to describe the steady motion of DW and the analytical results are quite consistent with the simulation data. Finally, we find that this combination effect can be leveraged to design DW-based biological neurons where the synergistic interaction between STT and VCSG-driven DW motion as integrating and leaking motivates mimicking leaky-integrate-and-fire(LIF) and self-reset function. Importantly, the firing response of the LIF neuron can be efficiently modulated, facilitating the exploration of tunable activation function generators, which can further help improve the computational capability of the neuromorphic system.

Tunable superconducting resonators via on-chip control of local magnetic field

Superconducting microwave resonators play a pivotal role in superconducting quantum circuits.The ability to finetune their resonant frequencies provides enhanced control and flexibility.Here,we introduce a frequency-tunable superconducting coplanar waveguide resonator.By applying electrical currents through specifically designed ground wires,we achieve the generation and control of a localized magnetic field on the central line of the resonator,enabling continuous tuning of its resonant frequency.We demonstrate a frequency tuning range of 54.85 MHz in a 6.21-GHz resonator.This integrated and tunable resonator holds great potential as a dynamically tunable filter and as a key component of communication buses and memory elements in superconducting quantum computing.

A Transparent Photoresist Made of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticle-Embedded Acrylic Resin with a Tunable Refractive Index for UV-Imprint Lithography

Transparent photoresists with a high refractive index(RI)and high transmittance in visible wavelengths have promising functionalities in optical fields.This work reports a kind of tunable optical material composed of titanium dioxide nanoparticles embedded in acrylic resin with a high RI for ultraviolet(UV)-imprint lithography.The hybrid film exhibits a tunable RI of up to 1.67(589 nm)after being cured by UV light,while maintaining both a high transparency of over 98%in the visible light range and a low haze of less than 0.05%.The precision machining of optical microstructures can be imprinted easily and efficiently using the hybrid resin,which acts as a light guide plate(LGP)to guide the light from the side to the top in order to conserve the energy of the display device.These preliminary studies based on both laboratory and commercial experiments pave the way for exploiting the unparalleled optical properties of nanocomposite resins and promoting their industrial application.

A Dual-polarized Frequency Selective Rasorber with a Tunable Transparent Band

A tunable dual polarization absorption-transmission-absorption(A-T-A)frequency selective absorbers(FSR)to address the issue of high insertion loss in current tunable FSRs is proposed.The lumped resistors are loaded onto the lossy layer to absorb electromagnetic waves within the absorption band.The varactor diodes are loaded onto another lossless layer to control the transmission frequency band of the FSR.Its equivalent circuit model is provided.The proposed tunable FSR can change the passband within the range of 14.5~15.5 GHz by changing the bias voltage applied to the lossless transmission layer,while maintaining insertion loss above-1.67 dB.The series resonant structure of the lossy layer generates bilateral absorption bands between 10.2~13.5 GHz and 17.2~22 GHz,with broadband reflection suppression ranging from 10.3 GHz to 22 GHz(70.7%).The prototype is manufactured,and the measured results have verified the simulation results.

3D Printing of Periodic Porous Metamaterials for Tunable Electromagnetic Shielding Across Broad Frequencies

The new-generation electronic components require a balance between electromagnetic interference shielding efficiency and open structure factors such as ventilation and heat dissipation.In addition,realizing the tunable shielding of porous shields over a wide range of wavelengths is even more challenging.In this study,the well-prepared thermoplastic polyurethane/carbon nanotubes composites were used to fabricate the novel periodic porous flexible metamaterials using fused deposition modeling 3D printing.Particularly,the investigation focuses on optimization of pore geometry,size,dislocation configuration and material thickness,thus establishing a clear correlation between structural parameters and shielding property.Both experimental and simulation results have validated the superior shielding performance of hexagon derived honeycomb structure over other designs,and proposed the failure shielding size(D_(f)≈λ/8-λ/5)and critical inclined angle(θf≈43°-48°),which could be used as new benchmarks for tunable electromagnetic shielding.In addition,the proper regulation of the material thickness could remarkably enhance the maximum shielding capability(85-95 dB)and absorption coefficient A(over 0.83).The final innovative design of the porous shielding box also exhibits good shielding effectiveness across a broad frequency range(over 2.4 GHz),opening up novel pathways for individualized and diversified shielding solutions.

A low-frequency pure metal metamaterial absorber with continuously tunable stiffness

To address the incompatibility between high environmental adaptability and deep subwavelength characteristics in conventional local resonance metamaterials,and overcome the deficiencies in the stability of existing active control techniques for band gaps,this paper proposes a design method of pure metal vibration damping metamaterial with continuously tunable stiffness for wideband elastic wave absorption.We design a dual-helix narrow-slit pure metal metamaterial unit,which possesses the triple advantage of high spatial compactness,low stiffness characteristics,and high structural stability,enabling the opening of elastic flexural band gaps in the low-frequency range.Similar to the principle of a sliding rheostat,the introduction of continuously sliding plug-ins into the helical slits enables the continuous variation of the stiffness of the metamaterial unit,achieving a continuously tunable band gap effect.This successfully extends the effective band gap by more than ten times.The experimental results indicate that this metamaterial unit can be used as an additional vibration absorber to absorb the low-frequency vibration energy effectively.Furthermore,it advances the metamaterial absorbers from a purely passive narrowband design to a wideband tunable one.The pure metal double-helix metamaterials retain the subwavelength properties of metamaterials and are suitable for deployment in harsh environments.Simultaneously,by adjusting its stiffness,it substantially broadens the effective band gap range,presenting promising potential applications in various mechanical equipment operating under adverse conditions.

Liquid Metal Grid Patterned Thin Film Devices Toward Absorption‑Dominant and Strain‑Tunable Electromagnetic Interference Shielding

The demand of high-performance thin-film-shaped deformable electromagnetic interference(EMI)shielding devices is increasing for the next generation of wearable and miniaturized soft electronics.Although highly reflective conductive materials can effectively shield EMI,they prevent deformation of the devices owing to rigidity and generate secondary electromagnetic pollution simultaneously.Herein,soft and stretchable EMI shielding thin film devices with absorption-dominant EMI shielding behavior is presented.The devices consist of liquid metal(LM)layer and LM grid-patterned layer separated by a thin elastomeric film,fabricated by leveraging superior adhesion of aerosol-deposited LM on elastomer.The devices demonstrate high electromagnetic shielding effectiveness(SE)(SE_(T) of up to 75 dB)with low reflectance(SER of 1.5 dB at the resonant frequency)owing to EMI absorption induced by multiple internal reflection generated in the LM grid architectures.Remarkably,the excellent stretchability of the LM-based devices facilitates tunable EMI shielding abilities through grid space adjustment upon strain(resonant frequency shift from 81.3 to 71.3 GHz@33%strain)and is also capable of retaining shielding effectiveness even after multiple strain cycles.This newly explored device presents an advanced paradigm for powerful EMI shielding performance for next-generation smart electronics.

Synthesis of crystal-phase and color tunable mixed anion co-doped titanium oxides and their controllable photocatalytic activity

B and N mixed anions co-doped titania with various crystal phases such as anatase,brookite,and rutile were successfully synthesized by a hydrothermal synthesis followed by heat treatment in an ammonia gas atmosphere at 550-650℃(denoted as BN-Ana_x,BN-Bro_x,and BN-Rut_x,x is the treatment temperature).The colors of as-prepared BN-Ana,BN-Bro,and BN-Rut are red,yellow-green,and cyangreen,respectively.The color changing mechanism of titania was related to their various band gap structure and the existence of B-N bonding.The nitridation temperature exhibits effective color changing compared to that of nitridation time.The different phases of the mixed anion codoped titania possess different photocatalytic deNO_(x) activity.The BN-Ana and BN-Rut show poor photocatalytic deNO_(x) activity,while the BN-Bro shows excellent photocatalytic deNO_(x) activity,better than that of standard titania photocatalyst Degussa P25.The colorful titania with low-photocatalytic activity is heavy metal elements free,indicating their possible applications as nontoxic color pigments or novel cosmetic raw materials.

The Influence of Energy Transfer on the Color Temperature Change in Color-Tunable Organic Light Emitting Diodes with Interface Exciplex

The color-tunable white organic light-emitting diode (CT-WOLED) with wide correlation color temperature (CCT) has many advantages in optimizing the artificial light source to adapt to the human physiological cycle. The research on the change trend of CCT and the law of extending the change range of CCT will help to further improve the performance of this kind of device. The present work fabricated a series of CT-WOLED devices with a simple structure, which are all composed of two ultra-thin phosphor layers (PO-01 and Flrpic) and a spacer interlayer. The yellow interface exciplex (TCTA/PO-T2T) formed between the spacer layer (PO-T2T) and transmission material (TCTA) in EML will decrease the CCT value at low voltage. The relationship between the energy transfer in EML and CCT change trend is investigated by adjusting the interface exciplexes and the thickness of the interlayer or the phosphor layer in devices A, B and C, respectively. The results demonstrate that a simple OLED device with an interlayer inserted between two ultra-thin phosphor layers can achieve a wider CCT span from 3359 K to 6451 K at voltage increases from 2.75 V to 8.25 V. .

Fibrous Aerogels with Tunable Superwettability for High-Performance Solar-Driven Interfacial Evaporation

Solar-driven interfacial evaporation is an emerging technology for water desalination.Generally,double-layered structure with separate surface wettability properties is usually employed for evaporator construction.However,creating materials with tunable properties is a great challenge because the wettability of existing materials is usually monotonous.Herein,we report vinyltrimethoxysilane as a single molecular unit to hybrid with bacterial cellulose(BC)fibrous network,which can be built into robust aerogel with entirely distinct wettability through controlling assembly pathways.Siloxane groups or carbon atoms are exposed on the surface of BC nanofibers,resulting in either superhydrophilic or superhydrophobic aerogels.With this special property,single component-modified aerogels could be integrated into a double-layered evaporator for water desalination.Under 1 sun,our evaporator achieves high water evaporation rates of 1.91 and 4.20 kg m^(-2)h^(-1)under laboratory and outdoor solar conditions,respectively.Moreover,this aerogel evaporator shows unprecedented lightweight,structural robustness,long-term stability under extreme conditions,and excellent salt-resistance,highlighting the advantages in synthesis of aerogel materials from the single molecular unit.

Fibrous MXene Aerogels with Tunable Pore of Contaminated Seawater

The seawater desalination based on solardriven interfacial evaporation has emerged as a promising technique to alleviate the global crisis on freshwater shortage.However,achieving high desalination performance on actual,oil-contaminated seawater remains a critical challenge,because the transport channels and evaporation interfaces of the current solar evaporators are easily blocked by the oil slicks,resulting in undermined evaporation rate and conversion efficiency.Herein,we propose a facile strategy for fabricating a modularized solar evaporator based on flexible MXene aerogels with arbitrarily tunable,highly ordered cellular/lamellar pore structures for high-efficiency oil interception and desalination.The core design is the creation of 1D fibrous MXenes with sufficiently large aspect ratios,whose superior flexibility and plentiful link forms lay the basis for controllable 3D assembly into more complicated pore structures.The cellular pore structure is responsible for effective contaminants rejection due to the multi-sieving effect achieved by the omnipresent,isotropic wall apertures together with underwater superhydrophobicity,while the lamellar pore structure is favorable for rapid evaporation due to the presence of continuous,large-area evaporation channels.The modularized solar evaporator delivers the best evaporation rate(1.48 kg m-2h-1)and conversion efficiency(92.08%)among all MXene-based desalination materials on oil-contaminated seawater.

Generating a tunable narrow electron beam comb via laser-driven plasma grating

We propose a novel approach for generating a high-density,spatially periodic narrow electron beam comb(EBC)from a plasma grating induced by the interference of two intense laser pulses in subcritical-density plasma.We employ particle-in-cell(PIC)simulations to investigate the effects of cross-propagating laser pulses with specific angles overlapping in a subcritical plasma.This overlap results in the formation of a transverse standing wave,leading to a spatially periodic high-density modulation known as a plasma grating.The electron density peak within the grating can reach several times the background plasma density.The charge imbalance between electrons and ions in the electron density peaks causes mutual repulsion among the electrons,resulting in Coulomb expansion and acceleration of the electrons.As a result,some electrons expand into vacuum,forming a periodic narrow EBC with an individual beam width in the nanoscale range.To further explore the formation of the nanoscale EBC,we conduct additional PIC simulations to study the dependence on various laser parameters.Overall,our proposed method offers a promising and controlled approach to generate tunable narrow EBCs with high density.

Tunable vacancy defect chemistry on free-standing carbon cathode for lithium-sulfur batteries

The defect chemistry is successfully modulated on free-standing and binder-free carbon cathodes for highly efficient Li-S redox reactions.Such rationally regulated defect engineering realizes the synchronization of ion/electron-conductive and defect-rich networks on the threedimension carbon cathode,leading to its tunable activity for both relieving the shuttle phenomenon and accelerating the sulfur redox reaction kinetics.As expected,the defective carbon cathode harvests a high rate capacity of 1217.8 mAh g^(-1)at 0.2 C and a superior capacity retention of61.7%at 2 C after 500 cycles.Even under the sulfur mass loading of 11.1 mg cm^(-2),the defective cathode still holds a remarkable areal capacity of 8.5 mAh cm^(-2).

Transparent Thermally Tunable Microwave Absorber Prototype Based on Patterned VO2 Film

Transparent microwave absorbers that exhibit high optical transmittance and microwave absorption capability are ideal,although having a fixed absorption performance limits their applicability.Here,a simple,transparent,and thermally tunable microwave absorber is proposed,based on a patterned vanadium dioxide(VO_(2))film.Numerical calculations and experiments demonstrate that the proposed VO_(2)absorber has a high optical transmittance of 84.9%at 620 nm;its reflection loss at 15.06 GHz can be thermally tuned from–4.257 to–60.179 dB,and near-unity absorption is achieved at 523.750 K.Adjusting only the patterned VO_(2)film duty cycle can change the temperature of near-unity absorption.Our VO_(2)absorber has a simple composition,a high optical transmittance,a thermally tunable microwave absorption performance,a large modulation depth,and an adjustable temperature tuning range,making it promising for application in tunable sensors,thermal emitters,modulators,thermal imaging,bolometers,and photovoltaic devices.

Non-volatile dynamically switchable color display via chalcogenide stepwise cavity resonators

High-resolution multi-color printing relies upon pixelated optical nanostructures,which is crucial to promote color display by producing nonbleaching colors,yet requires simplicity in fabrication and dynamic switching.Antimony trisulfide(Sb_(2)S_(3))is a newly rising chalcogenide material that possesses prompt and significant transition of its optical characteristics in the visible region between amorphous and crystalline phases,which holds the key to color-varying devices.Herein,we proposed a dynamically switchable color printing method using Sb_(2)S_(3)-based stepwise pixelated Fabry-Pérot(FP)cavities with various cavity lengths.The device was fabricated by employing a direct laser patterning that is a less timeconsuming,more approachable,and low-cost technique.As switching the state of Sb_(2)S_(3) between amorphous and crystalline,the multi-color of stepwise pixelated FP cavities can be actively changed.The color variation is due to the profound change in the refractive index of Sb_(2)S_(3) over the visible spectrum during its phase transition.Moreover,we directly fabricated sub-50 nm nano-grating on ultrathin Sb_(2)S_(3) laminate via microsphere 800-nm femtosecond laser irradiation in far field.The minimum feature size can be further decreased down to~45 nm(λ/17)by varying the thickness of Sb_(2)S_(3) film.Ultrafast switchable Sb_(2)S_(3) photonic devices can take one step toward the next generation of inkless erasable papers or displays and enable information encryption,camouflaging surfaces,anticounterfeiting,etc.Importantly,our work explores the prospects of rapid and rewritable fabrication of periodic structures with nano-scale resolution and can serve as a guideline for further development of chalcogenide-based photonics components.

Photonic Generation of Chirp-Rate-Tunable Microwave Waveforms Using Temporal Cavity Solitons with Agile Repetition Rate

Chirp-rate-tunable microwave waveforms(CTMWs)with dynamically tunable parameters are of basic interest to many practical applications.Recently,photonic generation of microwave signals has made their bandwidths wider and more convenient for optical fiber transmission.An all-optical method for generation of multiband CTMWs is proposed and demonstrated on all-fiber architecture,relying on dual temporal cavity solitons with agile repetition rate.In the experiment,the triangular optical chirp microwave waveforms with bandwidth above0.45 GHz(ranging from 1.45 GHz to 1.9 GHz)are obtained,and the chirp rate reaches 0.9 GHz/ms.The reconfigurability is also demonstrated by adjusting the control signal.This all-optical approach provides a technical basis for compact,multi-band reconfigurable microwave photonics transmission and reception systems.

Exploring plasmons weakly coupling to perovskite excitons with tunable emission by energy transfer

Localized surface plasmon resonance(LSPR) has caused extensive concern and achieved widespread applications in optoelectronics. However, the weak coupling of plasmons and excitons in a nanometal/semiconductor system remains to be investigated via energy transfer. Herein, bandgap tunable perovskite films were synthesized to adjust the emission peaks,for further coupling with stable localized surface plasmons from gold nanoparticles. The degree of mismatch, using steadystate and transient photoluminescence(PL), was investigated systematically in two different cases of gold nanoparticles that were in direct contacting and insulated. The results demonstrated the process of tuning emission coupled to LSPR via wavelength-dependent photoluminescence intensity in the samples with an insulating spacer. In the direct contact case,the decreased radiative decay rate involves rapid plasmon resonance energy transfer to the perovskite semiconductor and non-radiative energy transfer to metal nanoparticles in the near-field range.

Coupling of reduced inorganic fertilizer with plant-based organic fertilizer as a promising fertilizer management strategy for colored rice in tropical regions

Colored rice is a type of high-quality,high-added-value rice that has attracted increasing attention in recent years.The use of large amounts of inorganic nitrogen fertilizer in rice fields results in low fertilizer use efficiency and high environmental pollution.Organic fertilizer is a promising way to improve soil quality and sustain high yields.However,most studies focus on the effect of animal-based organic fertilizers.The effects of different ratios of plantbased organic fertilizer and inorganic fertilizer on the grain yield and quality of colored rice have rarely been reported.Therefore,a two-year field experiment was conducted in 2020 and 2021 to study the effects of replacing inorganic N fertilizers with plant-based organic fertilizers on the yield,nitrogen use efficiency(NUE),and anthocyanin content of two colored rice varieties in a tropical region in China.The experimental treatments included no nitrogen fertilization(T1),100% inorganic nitrogen fertilizer(T2),30%inorganic nitrogen fertilizer substitution with plant-based organic fertilizer(T3),60%inorganic nitrogen fertilizer substitution with plant-based organic fertilizer(T4),and 100% plantbased organic fertilizer(T5).The total nitrogen provided to all the treatments except T1 was the same at 120 kg ha-1.Our results showed that the T3 treatment enhanced the grain yield and anthocyanin content of colored rice by increasing nitrogen use efficiency compared with T2.On average,grain yields were increased by 9 and 8%,while the anthocyanin content increased by 16 and 10% in the two colored rice varieties under T3 across the two years,respectively,as compared with T2.Further study of the residual effect of partial substitution of inorganic fertilizers showed that the substitution of inorganic fertilizer with plant-based organic fertilizer improved the soil physiochemical properties,and thus increased the rice grain yield,in the subsequent seasons.The highest grain yield of the subsequent rice crop was observed under the T5 treatment.Our results suggested that the application of plantbased organic fertilizers can sustain the production of colored rice with high anthocyanin content in tropical regions,which is beneficial in reconciling the relationship between rice production and environmental protection.

A Thermo-Tunable Metamaterial as an Actively Controlled Broadband Absorber

Metamaterials have attracted increasing attention in recent years due to their powerful abilities in manipulating electromagnetic (EM) waves. However, most previously reported metamaterials are unable to actively control full-band EM waves. In this paper, we propose a thermo-tunable broadband metamaterial (T-TBM) using paraffin-based composites (PD-Cs) with different phase transition temperatures. Active control of the T-TBM reflection loss peaks from low to high frequency is realized by manipulating the solid–liquid state of the PD-Cs at different phase transition temperatures. The absorption peak bandwidth (where the reflection loss value is less than −30 dB) can be changed, while the broad bandwidth absorption (where the reflection loss value is less than −10 dB) is satisfied by adjusting the temperature of the T-TBM. It is shown that the stagnation of the phase transition temperature of the PD-Cs in the T-TBM provides a time window for actively controlling the EM wave absorption response under different thermal conditions. The device has a broad application prospect in the fields of EM absorption, intelligent metamaterials, multifunctional structural devices, and more.