Physical unclonable in-memory computing for simultaneous protecting private data and deep learning models.

Compute-in-memory based on resistive random-access memory has emerged as a promising technology for accelerating neural networks on edge devices. It can reduce frequent data transfers and improve energy efficiency. However, the nonvolatile nature of resistive memory raises concerns that stored weights can be easily extracted during computation.

Highly Sensitive Non-Dispersive Infrared Gas Sensor with Innovative Application for Monitoring Carbon Dioxide Emissions from Lithium-Ion Battery Thermal Runaway.

The safety of power batteries in the automotive industry is of paramount importance and cannot be emphasized enough. As lithium-ion battery technology continues to evolve, the energy density of these batteries increases, thereby amplifying the potential risks linked to battery failures. This study explores pivotal safety challenges within the electric vehicle sector, with a particular focus on thermal runaway and gas emissions originating from lithium-ion batteries.

Mechanical force-induced interlayer sliding in interfacial ferroelectrics.

Moiré superlattices in two-dimensional stacks have attracted worldwide interest due to their unique electronic properties. A typical example is the moiré ferroelectricity, where adjacent moirés exhibit opposite spontaneous polarization that can be switched through interlayer sliding. However, in contrast to ideal regular ferroelectric moiré domains (equilateral triangles) built in most theoretical models, the unavoidable irregular moiré supercells (non-equilateral triangles) induced by external strain fields during the transfer process have been given less attention.

Colloidal ionogels: Controlled assembly and self-propulsion upon tunable swelling.

Active colloids driven out of thermal equilibrium serve as building blocks for smart materials with tunable structures and functions. Using chemical energy to drive colloids is advantageous but requires precise control over chemical release. To address this, we developed colloidal ionogels-polymer microspheres infused with ionic liquids-that show controlled assembly and self-propulsion upon tunable swelling.

Nanophotonic inspection of deep-subwavelength integrated optoelectronic chips.

Artificial nanostructures with ultrafine and deep-subwavelength features have emerged as a paradigm-shifting platform to advanced light-field management, becoming key building blocks for high-performance integrated optoelectronics and flat optics. However, direct optical inspection of integrated chips remains a missing metrology gap that hinders quick feedback between design and fabrications. Here, we demonstrate that photothermal nonlinear scattering microscopy can be used for direct imaging and resolving of integrated optoelectronic chips beyond the diffraction limit.

An Integrated Microfluidic Microwave Array Sensor with Machine Learning for Enrichment and Detection of Mixed Biological Solution.

In this work, an integrated microfluidic microwave array sensor is proposed for the enrichment and detection of mixed biological solution. In individuals with urinary tract infections or intestinal health issues, the levels of white blood cells (WBCs) and () in urine or intestinal extracts can be significantly elevated compared to normal. The proposed integrated chip, characterized by its low cost, simplicity of operation, fast response, and high accuracy, is designed to detect a mixed solution of WBCs and .

Anomalous Behavior of the Non-Hermitian Topological System with an Asymmetric Coupling Impurity.

A notable feature of systems with non-Hermitian skin effects is the sensitivity to boundary conditions. In this work, we introduce one type of boundary condition provided by a coupling impurity. We consider a system where a two-level system as an impurity couples to a nonreciprocal Su-Schrieffer-Heeger chain under periodic boundary conditions at two points with asymmetric couplings.

An Efficient Retinal Fluid Segmentation Network Based on Large Receptive Field Context Capture for Optical Coherence Tomography Images.

Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) is a crucial imaging modality for diagnosing and monitoring retinal diseases. However, the accurate segmentation of fluid regions and lesions remains challenging due to noise, low contrast, and blurred edges in OCT images. Although feature modeling with wide or global receptive fields offers a feasible solution, it typically leads to significant computational overhead.

Preparation of Silicon Nanopillar Arrays Using Reactive Ion Etching with a Faraday Cage.

Faraday cages are extensively utilized in plasma-based etching and deposition processes to regulate ion behavior due to their shielding effect on electromagnetic fields. Herein, vertical silicon nanopillar arrays are fabricated through SF and O reactive ion etching. By incorporation of a Faraday cage in the plasma equipment, the impact of the Faraday cage on the morphology of the silicon nanopillars is analyzed; the Faraday cage blocks out the sputtered particles and eradicates the formation of silicon nanograss.

Theoretical and experimental investigations of the CMOS compatible Pirani gauges with a temperature compensation model.

In this article, a CMOS-compatible Pirani vacuum gauge was proposed featuring enhanced sensitivity, lower detection limit, and high-temperature stability, achieved through the implementation of a surface micromachining method coupled with a temperature compensation strategy. To improve performance, a T-type device with a 1 µm gap was fabricated resulting in an average sensitivity of 1.10 V/lgPa, which was 2.

High-Performance Ultraviolet Photodetector Based on the Vertical GaSe/GaN Heterojunction.

Ultraviolet light detection is essential for environmental monitoring, hazard alerting, and optical communication. Here, a vertical UV photodetector is proposed and demonstrated by stacking the freestanding GaN-film on the 2D GaSe flake. Benefits from the vertical heterostructure and built-in electric field, the photodetector exhibits excellent photoresponse properties, including a high responsivity of 1.

Memristor-based feature learning for pattern classification.

Inspired by biological processes, feature learning techniques, such as deep learning, have achieved great success in various fields. However, since biological organs may operate differently from semiconductor devices, deep models usually require dedicated hardware and are computation-complex. High energy consumption has made deep model growth unsustainable.

Engineering Polar Vortices via Strain Soliton Interactions in Marginally Twisted Multilayer Graphene.

Strain solitons have been widely observed in van der Waals materials and their heterostructures. They can manifest as one-dimensional (1D) wires and quasi-two-dimensional (2D) networks. However, their coexistence within the same region has rarely been observed, and their interplay remains unexplored.

High-Performance Edge-Contact Monolayer Molybdenum Disulfide Transistors.

Edge contact is essential for achieving the ultimate device pitch scaling of stacked nanosheet transistors with monolayer 2-dimensional (2D) channels. However, due to large edge-contact resistance between 2D channels and contact metal, there is currently a lack of high-performance edge-contact device technology for 2D material channels. Here, we report high-performance edge-contact monolayer molybdenum disulfide (MoS) field-effect transistors (FETs) utilizing well-controlled plasma etching techniques.

Multiple Exciton Generation on Doped Wide-Band Semiconductor Photoanode with Hierarchical Quantum Structure.

The multiple exciton generation (MEG) effect, which produces multiple photo-generated charge carriers from a single high-energy photon absorption by a semiconductor with a narrow bandgap, has the potential to revolutionize photovoltaic, photoelectric detection, and other technologies. Here, this work finds that the surface carbon-modified wide-bandgap photoanode with hierarchical quantum structure can drive a photoelectrochemical reaction with a quantum efficiency exceeding 145% by the first time. More studies reveal that the presence of the MEG effect in the MEG-CdS photoanode is attributed to the formation of high-quality surface C-modified CdS quantum nanosheets on CdS bulk film by in situ, this hierarchical quantum structure leads to quantum confinement effects that increase effective Coulomb interaction for driving MEG and decrease competition for thermal exciton cooling.

Boosting Thermal Generation in Cation-Exchanged Transparent MXene Composite Films with Hierarchical Wrinkled Structure.

Efficient thermal generation from solar/electric energy in transparent films remains challenging due to the limited toolbox of high-performance thermal generation materials and methods for microstructure engineering. Here, we proposed a two-step strategy to introduce hierarchical wrinkles to the MXene composite films with high transparency, leading to upgraded photo/electrothermal conversion efficiency. Specifically, the thin film contains protic acid-treated MXene layers assembled with Ag nanowires (H-MXene/Ag NWs).

Fabrication of TeNT/TeO heterojunction based sensor for ultrasensitive detection of NO.

Tellurium nanotubes (TeNT) heterojunction with Tellurium oxide (TeO) were prepared by in situ oxidation at elevated temperatures in air. The chemiresistive type NO sensor was then fabricated by depositing the synthesized TeNT/TeO on the integrated gold electrodes. The response of the TeNT/TeO based sensor to 600 ppb NO was 38.

Optoelectronic array of photodiodes integrated with RRAMs for energy-efficient in-sensor computing.

The rapid development of internet of things (IoT) urgently needs edge miniaturized computing devices with high efficiency and low-power consumption. In-sensor computing has emerged as a promising technology to enable in-situ data processing within the sensor array. Here, we report an optoelectronic array for in-sensor computing by integrating photodiodes (PDs) with resistive random-access memories (RRAMs).

In-Plane Transition-Metal Dichalcogenide Junction with Nearly Zero Interfacial Band Offset.

Two-dimensional in-plane transition-metal dichalcogenide (TMD) junctions have a range of potential applications in next-generation electronic devices. However, limited by the difficulties in ion implantation on 2D systems, the fabrication of the in-plane TMD junctions still relies on the lateral epitaxy of different materials, which always induces lattice mismatch and interfacial scattering. Here, we report the in-plane TMD junction formed with monolayer (ML) PtTe at the boundary of ML and bilayer graphene on SiC.

Roll-to-Roll Flash Joule Heating to Stabilize Electrocatalysts onto Meter-Scale Ni Foam for Advanced Water Splitting.

The seamless integration of electrocatalysts onto the electrode is crucial for enhancing water electrolyzers, yet it is especially challenging when scaled up to large manufacturing. Despite thorough investigation, there are few reports that tackle this integration through roll-to-roll (R2R) methodology, a technique crucial for fulfilling industrial-scale demands. Here, we develop an R2R flash Joule heating (R2R-FJH) system to process catalytic electrodes with superior performance.

Ultrasensitive ammonia sensor with excellent humidity resistance based on PANI/SnS heterojunction.

The analysis of human exhaled gas is crucial for early and noninvasive diagnosis. However, the complex composition and high-humidity of exhaled gas pose significant challenges to the application of gas sensors. This research focuses on the development of a chemiresistive ammonia sensor based on the polyaniline/tin disulfide (PANI/SnS) heterojunction, which is fabricated by hydrothermal and in-situ polymerization techniques.

Band Tailoring Enabled Perovskite Devices for X-Ray to Near-Infrared Photodetection.

Perovskite semiconductors have shown significant promise for photodetection due to their low effective carrier masses and long carrier lifetimes. However, achieving balanced detection across a broad spectrum-from X-rays to infrared-within a single perovskite photodetector presents challenges. These challenges stem from conflicting requirements for different wavelength ranges, such as the narrow bandgap needed for infrared detection and the low dark current necessary for X-ray sensitivity.

Boosting Energy Harvesting Performance in Piezoelectric Composites with Aligned Porosity via a Dual Structure Design Strategy.

Porous piezoelectric materials have attracted much interest in the fields of sensing and energy harvesting owing to their low dielectric constant, high piezoelectric voltage coefficient, and energy harvesting figure of merit. However, the introduction of porosity can decrease the piezoelectric coefficient, which restricts the enhancement of output current and power density. Herein, to overcome these challenges, an array-structured piezoelectric composite energy harvester with aligned porosity was constructed via a dual structure design strategy to enhance the output current and power density.

An integrated paper-based microfluidic platform for screening of early-stage Alzheimer's disease by detecting Aβ42.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia worldwide, and the development of early screening methods can address its significant health and social consequences. In this paper, we present a rotary-valve assisted paper-based immunoassay device (RAPID) for early screening of AD, featuring a highly integrated on-chip rotary micro-valve that enables fully automated and efficient detection of the AD biomarker (amyloid beta 42, Aβ42) in artificial plasma. The microfluidic paper-based analytical device (μPAD) of the RAPID pre-stores the required assay reagents on a μPAD and automatically controls the liquid flow through a single valve.

Low-Temperature Growth of Centimeter-Sized 2D PdSe by Self-Limiting Liquid-Phase Edge Epitaxy.

Two-dimensional (2D) PdSe atomic crystals hold great potential for optoelectronic applications due to their bipolar electrical characteristics, tunable bandgap, high electron mobility, and exceptional air stability. Nevertheless, the scalable synthesis of large-area, high-quality 2D PdSe crystals using chemical vapor deposition (CVD) remains a significant challenge. Here, we present a self-limiting liquid-phase edge-epitaxy (SLE) low-temperature growth method to achieve high-quality, centimeter-sized PdSe films with single-crystal domain areas exceeding 30 μm.