The parallel multi-wavelength light source plays a critical role in optical input/output (I/O) systems by providing multiple wavelengths to enhance data transmission capacity and flexibility. This study proposes and experimentally demonstrates, to our knowledge, a novel on-chip parallel multi-wavelength light source based on an eight-wavelength distributed feedback (DFB) laser array, an arrayed waveguide grating (AWG), and a Y-branch light power splitter for optical I/O applications. The ac-phase-shifted laser array is designed using the reconstructed equivalent chirp (REC) method for precise wavelength control. The AWG is designed for eight-wavelength multiplexing, while the Y-branches function as output interfaces, supporting 64 channels across eight ports simultaneously. An output power exceeding 6.9 dBm is achieved at each of the eight output ports. Furthermore, the linewidth of the representative wavelength is measured to be 361.5 kHz, and clear 25 Gb/s non-return-to-zero (NRZ) eye diagrams are obtained. The proposed parallel multi-wavelength source scheme offers a compact and promising solution for advancing optical I/O technology.
Stimuli-responsive polymers offer unprecedented control over drug release in implantable delivery systems. Shape memory polymer fibers (SMPFs), with their large specific surface area and programmable properties, present promising alternatives for triggerable drug delivery. However, the existing SMPFs face limitations in resolution, architecture, scalability, and functionality. We introduce thermal drawing as a materials and processing platform to fabricate microstructured, multimaterial SMPFs that are tens of meters long, with high resolution (10 μm) and extreme aspect ratios (> 105). These novel fibers achieve highly controlled, sequential drug release over tailored time periods of 6 months. Post thermal drawing photothermal coatings enable accelerated, spatially precise drug release within 4 months and facilitate light-triggered, untethered shape recovery. The fibers’ fast self-tightening capability within 40 s shows their potential as smart sutures for minimally invasive procedures that deliver drugs simultaneously. In addition, the advanced multimaterial platform facilitates the integration of optical and metallic elements within SMP systems, allowing highly integrated fibers with shape memory attributes and unprecedented functionalities. This versatile technology opens new avenues for diverse biomedical applications, including implantable drug delivery systems, smart sutures, wound dressings, stents, and functional textiles. It represents a significant advancement in precise spatio-temporal control of drug delivery and adaptive medical devices. Graphical Abstract
Enhancing light-matter interactions depends critically on the ability to tailor photonic modes at subwavelength scales, and combining distinct resonant modes has shown remarkable potential unattainable by individual resonances alone. Despite recent advances in anapole metasurfaces for energy confinement and Fabry-P & eacute;rot (FP) cavities for spectral control, their synergistic coupling and resulting opportunities remain largely unexplored due to challenges such as precise nanoscale assembly in experiments. Here, we demonstrate that embedding a terahertz (THz) anapole metasurface within a tunable FP cavity results in a hybrid cavity that demonstrates exotic properties as the anapole transitions between coupling to FP resonances and anti-resonances via cavity-length tuning. At room temperature, we observe ultrastrong coupling (> 30% of the anapole frequency) between anapoles and FP resonances, generating tunable-dispersion polaritons that blend favorable properties of both modes. Meanwhile, anapole spectrally aligns with FP anti-resonances, leading to weak coupling that narrows anapole's transmission peak linewidth by one order of magnitude and enhances its local density of states (LDOS) near the metasurface correspondingly. With exceptional capabilities, including the formation of polaritons and significant enhancement of LDOS, the hybrid cavity enables strong interaction with functional materials, paving the way for exploration of quantum optics, molecular sensing, and ultrafast nonlinear photonics.
The UV/SPC process was employed for the removal of rhodamine B (RhB), and the influences of reaction parameters and natural water components on the degradation of RhB were systematically studied. The results demonstrate that RhB can be efficiently eliminated in the UV/SPC system compared to using UV photolysis or SPC oxidation alone, with •OH and CO3•− being the main radicals to degrade RhB. The degradation efficiency of RhB was enhanced with increasing SPC concentration but decreased with increasing initial RhB concentration. Moreover, the degradation efficiency of RhB decreased with the increasing initial pH. When pH increased from 3 to 11, the degradation efficiency of RhB declined from nearly 100 to 81.93
