Control and enhancement of optical nonlinearities in plasmonic semiconductor nanostructures for future reconfigurable optical neural networks
Peer-Reviewed Publication
Updates every hour. Last Updated: 21-Jun-2025 18:10 ET (21-Jun-2025 22:10 GMT/UTC)
Optical neural networks hold promise as future hardware for energy-efficient artificial intelligence tasks. The implementation of nonlinear functions in photonic integrated circuits is required for optical neural network design and performance calculation. A European scientific collaboration has experimentally demonstrated a novel optical nonlinearity arising from the hydrodynamic behavior of electrons in doped semiconductors. These results could enable advanced photonic integrated circuits using mature microfabrication processes, paving the way for scalable, high-performance optical computing.
The combination of solar energy and natural hydrothermal systems will innovate the chemistry of CO2 hydrogenation; however, the approach remains challenging due to the lack of robust and cost-effective catalytic system. Here, Zn which can be recycled with solar energy-induced approach was chosen as the reductant and Co as catalyst to achieve robust hydrothermal CO2 methanation. Nanosheets of honeycomb ZnO were grown in situ on the Co surface, resulting in a new motif (Co@ZnO catalyst) that inhibits Co deactivation through ZnO-assisted CoOx reduction. The stabilized Co and interaction between Co and ZnO functioned collaboratively toward the full conversion of CO2–CH4. In situ hydrothermal infrared spectroscopy confirmed the formation of formic acid as an intermediate, thereby avoiding CO formation and unwanted side reaction pathways. This study presents a straightforward one-step process for both highly efficient CO2 conversion and catalyst synthesis, paving the way for solar-driven CO2 methanation.
Improved understanding of the light-driven production of hydrogen holds the promise not just to make the reaction more efficient in producing a fuel, but also to offer a framework to better understand future light-driven chemistries.
The National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS), headed by President Kazuhiro Hono(Open in a new window), has decided to present this year’s NIMS Award to: Prof. Tsutomu Miyasaka, Professor of Engineering, Toin University of Yokohama, Prof. Henry J. Snaith Professor of Physics, University of Oxford, and Prof. Nam-Gyu Park Professor of Chemical Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University.
University of Utah engineers encode partial differential equations in light and feed them into newly designed optical neural engine, or ONE, to accelerate machine learning.
In Nanotechnology and Precision Engineering, researchers developed a microrobot capable of manipulating small droplets in the presence of magnetic fields. To make their robot, they mixed neodymium magnetic particles and sugar with a chemically stable polymer. The sugar was then dissolved away, leaving holes throughout the polymer for increased surface area. Lastly, the team treated the polymer with plasma to make it attract water and other liquids. Including the magnetic particles allowed the team to control their robot by applying magnetic fields, and using powerful neodymium particles made the robot more responsive and effective compared to existing magnetic microrobots.