Large-scale self-assembled nanophotonic scintillators for X-ray imaging.

Scintillators convert X-ray energy into visible light and are critical for imaging technologies. Their widespread use relies on scalable, high-quality manufacturing methods. Nanophotonic scintillators, featuring wavelength-scale nanostructures, can offer improved emission properties such as higher light yield, shorter decay times, and enhanced directionality.

End-to-end design of multicolor scintillators for enhanced energy resolution in X-ray imaging.

Scintillators have been widely used in X-ray imaging due to their ability to convert high-energy radiation into visible light, making them essential for applications such as medical imaging and high-energy physics. Recent advances in the artificial structuring of scintillators offer new opportunities for improving the energy resolution of scintillator-based X-ray detectors. Here, we present a three-bin energy-resolved X-ray imaging framework based on a three-layer multicolor scintillator used in conjunction with a physics-aware image postprocessing algorithm.

Color arrestor pixels for high-fidelity, high-sensitivity imaging sensors.

Silicon is the dominant material in complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) imaging devices because of its outstanding electrical and optical properties, well-established fabrication methods, and abundance in nature. However, with the ongoing trend toward electronic miniaturization, which demands smaller pixel sizes in CMOS image sensors, issues, such as crosstalk and reduced optical efficiency, have become critical. These problems stem from the intrinsic properties of Si, particularly its low absorption in the long wavelength range of the visible spectrum, which makes it difficult to devise effective solutions unless the material itself is changed.

Compression-sensitive smart windows: inclined pores for dynamic transparency changes.

Smart windows, capable of tailoring light transmission, can significantly reduce energy consumption in building services. While mechano-responsive windows activated by strains are promising candidates, they face long-lasting challenges in which the space for the light scatterer's operation has to be enlarged along with the window size, undermining the practicality. Recent attempts to tackle this challenge inevitably generate side effects with compromised performance in light modulation.

Visual and thermal camouflage on different terrestrial environments based on electrochromism.

Hiding terrestrial objects from aerial monitoring has long been an important objective in national security and public safety. However, the diversity of terrestrial environments raises great challenges to traditional camouflages optimized for a single spectral band or single type of background environment, rendering them vulnerable in other bands or backgrounds. Herein, we experimentally demonstrate simultaneous visual and thermal camouflage that can adapt to two different environments based on a thermally emissive electrochromic layer.

High-Contrast Optical Modulation from Strain-Induced Nanogaps at 3D Heterogeneous Interfaces.

The realization of high-contrast modulation in optically transparent media is of great significance for emerging mechano-responsive smart windows. However, no study has provided fundamental strategies for maximizing light scattering during mechanical deformations. Here, a new type of 3D nanocomposite film consisting of an ultrathin (≈60 nm) AlO nanoshell inserted between the elastomers in a periodic 3D nanonetwork is proposed.