Despite huge progress accomplished in perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs), the electroluminescence performance of blue PeLEDs lags far behind, constraining the widespread application of PeLED technology for vibrant full-colour displays1-5. The wider bandgaps of blue emitters require higher working voltages of corresponding electroluminescent devices, intensifying the octahedral instability of perovskites with ionic nature6,7. Here we report efficient and stable PeLEDs with saturated blue emissions by constructing hydrogen-bonding networks formed within perovskite and at the interface using isomeric molecules. The O-benzylhydroxylamine hydrochloride (OBCl) between the hole transport layer and the emitter acts as hydrogen-bonding donor, binding to the perovskite inorganic framework, which enhances the perovskite structural stability and decreases the hole energy barrier due to the large dipole moment. The isomeric N-benzylhydroxylamine hydrochloride (NBCl) added into the perovskite provides acceptor and donor sites for forming hydrogen bonding with the OB+ and the perovskite. The isomeric molecular hydrogen bonding reinforces the preferential orientation of perovskite films induced by OB+ interfacial molecules, improving the carrier mobility and further enhancing material stability. We demonstrate, as a result, blue PeLEDs with external quantum efficiencies of 16.8% at 463 nm and 22.0% at 468 nm, as well as significantly improved device stability, representing state-of-the-art performance among pure- and deep-blue PeLEDs.

Airy pulses, known for their unique self-acceleration, self-healing, and non-diffracting properties, have attracted significant attention and are used in many applications in fields such as optical communication, laser microfabrication, supercontinuum modulation, optical sensing, and biomedicine. Controlling the temporal trajectory of Airy pulses is crucial for the expansion of their practical applications. In this study, we propose a method to manipulate the temporal evolution of Airy pulses by engineering the dispersion profile through the alignment of liquid crystals (LCs). Using the stepwise Fourier transform method, we numerically demonstrate two distinct behaviours-self-decelerating and self-accelerating-of Airy pulses in LCs with two different initial states. Additionally, simplified analytical solutions are derived and compared with simulation results, showing excellent agreement. These findings demonstrate that the temporal trajectory of Airy pulses can be precisely manipulated by adjusting LC alignment in accordance with the nonlinear dispersion properties. This approach offers new possibilities for advanced applications involving tempo-spatial wave packages or bullets with LC-based platforms.

Soft actuators based on liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) offer programmable shape-morphing capabilities for biomedical devices and microrobotics. However, conventional photothermal LCE actuators lack spatial selectivity in actuation, suffer from low photothermal conversion efficiency and poor wavelength versatility, which severely limit their performance, especially at the challenging 980 nm window. Here, we introduce a plasmonic metasurface strategy that enables spatially selective, high-efficiency photothermal actuation. By patterning designed gold nanostructures onto LCEs, we create programmable "hot spots" that drive localized deformations under NIR illumination. This platform achieves unprecedented combined performance at 980 nm, including high photothermal conversion efficiency, low driving power, and competitive response times, while enabling patterned actuation. Moreover, we employ photoluminescence thermography to directly visualize and quantify thermal gradients generated across the LCE film, providing crucial insights into the spatiotemporal thermal dynamics. We also provide a comprehensive analysis from nanoscale plasmonic heating to macroscopic heat transfer. By integrating metasurface patterning with photoalignment, we demonstrate diverse actuation modes, from simple 2D bending to complex 3D morphing. This work establishes a new paradigm for high-performance soft actuators, opening avenues for advanced applications in soft robotics, adaptive optics, and intelligent responsive systems.

The rapid development of information technology comes with associated challenges in information storage and security and there is a need for new approaches that allow multilevel information storage and encryption (M2ISE). This paper describes an innovative strategy for realizing M2ISE in a soft material that is simply manufactured and operated. An auxetic liquid crystal elastomer film is utilized, programmed in specific regions to exhibit strain-dependent optical and morphological responses. The auxetic response is controlled by the application of chosen voltages, all ≤2.00 Vrms, during polymerization. The information is patterned using UV-masks that are designed to realize both 2D optical and 3D tactile information in the form of binary images and haptic Braille letters respectively. The addressing voltages are determined by measuring the elastic and dielectric properties of the precursor mixture and the auxetic strain threshold can be tuned between ∼0.58 ± 0.05 and ∼0.91 ± 0.05. The decryption processes for the optical and tactile information are independent and offer security through the need for strains of specific magnitudes and directions. This study represents an innovative approach for encryption of information utilizing a recently-discovered family of soft materials, auxetic liquid crystal elastomers.

Optical topological quasiparticles have attracted considerable attention due to their unique topological properties. While much effort has been devoted to their generation, studies on the optical field characteristics and functional applications remain limited. In this work, we verified the chirality of optical Stokes bimeron and demonstrated the separation of chiral particles by means of this optical topological quasiparticle generating with a metasurface. Further results reveal that chirality of bimeron fields can enable selective manipulation and separation of chiral particles with opposite handedness. Furthermore, by introducing phase modulation, we achieve in-plane rotation of the bimeron optical field, thereby enabling dynamic control of the chiral particle trajectories, and it can produce a centrifugal-like effect with chiral-dependence. Our findings can be utilized as a versatile platform for chirality-based sorting, transport, and dynamic particle control.

Thermoregulation has attracted tremendous research attention as one of the eco-friendly and sustainable strategies for temperature modulation. While most of the thermoregulation devices possess static cooling capabilities, the adaptability during nighttime or winter conditions is largely limited. Herein, we introduce a switchable dual-mode thermoregulation system based on TiO2/MXene/PDMS (TMP) Janus film. Attributed to the strong solar scattering effect of TiO2 fillers and the intrinsically high mid-infrared emissivity of the PDMS matrix, the TMP Janus film achieves a high solar reflectivity of 97% while maintaining a high MIR emissivity of 91% in cooling mode, and absorbs approximately 91% of solar irradiation in heating mode. By further integration with smart control modules, it allows autonomous switch between cooling and heating modes, which provides adaptive temperature regulation for practical applications. An ultra-wide temperature regulation range with sub-ambient cooling up to 17.89°C and above-ambient heating up to 13.82°C were demonstrated. The proposed reversible thermoregulation Janus film offers a sustainable and effective strategy toward eco-friendly and intelligent indoor temperature regulation.

Vortex beams (VBs) represent an important instance of structured light carrying orbital angular momentum (OAM), which is attracting particular interest from many application fields, from free space optical communications to sensing and imaging. As OAM radiation from a single emitter is concerned, a precise positioning of the source in the center of axis-symmetric, possibly resonating diffractive structures is often required. In addition, efficient free-space outcoupling of light with pure OAM and polarization states remains a difficult task. Here, we propose a dielectric multilayer platform decorated with chiral gold metasurfaces able to provide polarization-selective diffraction of Bloch surface waves sustained by the multilayer. We demonstrate that the generation of well-defined OAM occurs only when Bloch surface waves (BSWs) are coupled (in this case, from an external coherent source). The metasurface chirality is shown to be polarization-selective so that at least 74% is out-coupled in free space with a specific circular polarization, determined by design. In perspective, this work suggests new opportunities for the generation of free-space OAM single photons as an alternative to plasmonic structures recently proposed.

Fixed interdigital transducers (IDTs) are commonly limited to only generate a single type of surface acoustic wave (SAW). Here, we present a programmable IDT array architecture for multidimensional SAW generation, based on standard and chirped IDT array designs. Forty independently addressable IDT units are each modulated by a double-pole-double-throw switch to enable binary phase inversion. This system generates diverse SAW waveforms including non-diffracting Airy SAWs and dynamically focused SAWs. We achieve two-dimensional focus manipulation with sub-wavelength precision and extended focal depth, enabled by time-division multiplexing with chirped IDTs. By combining spatial phase encoding with spectral frequency multiplexing, our approach demonstrates multidimensional control over SAW generation, providing a platform for adaptive acoustic field control in applications such as reconfigurable microfluidics, tuneable metamaterials, and multifrequency sensing systems.

Tunable optical elements are fundamental to modern photonics, yet conventional tuning approaches rely on rigid components and electronic control, limiting their integration into flexible, lightweight, or remotely operated systems. This work presents a light-controlled optomechanical polarization volume grating (PVG) achieved by monolithically integrating a liquid crystal polymer (LCP) diffraction grating onto a photoactive, azo-dye-doped liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) substrate. The LCE exhibits reversible, anisotropic photomechanical deformation under 450-nm illumination, reaching approximately 10% strain. The LCP PVG, engineered for the green spectral region (similar to 550 nm), demonstrates a first-order diffraction efficiency of 92%. Upon integration, light-induced LCE deformation mechanically modulates the grating period, yielding reversible, bidirectional spectral tuning: redshift for parallel alignment and blueshift for perpendicular alignment, with the tuning direction selectable through initial alignment design. This wireless, all-optical device establishes a proof-of-concept for soft, light-driven adaptive optics, with pathways toward enhanced performance through material optimization and applications in compact optical systems, LiDAR, and augmented reality displays.

Abstract Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) represent a class of lightly crosslinked polymer networks that combine the soft elasticity of polymer networks with the anisotropy of liquid crystal (LC) units. These intelligent polymeric materials respond to external stimuli, generating reversible deformations. The modulation of LCE dimensions enables control over their deformation capabilities and functionalities, showcasing rich potential in microfluidics, soft robotics, intelligent textiles, tunable optical devices, energy dissipation materials, and various other domains. Meeting diverse application requirements necessitates considering factors such as shape, size, mechanical strength, topological structure, functional modes, and stimulus‐response mechanisms. Therefore, the modulation and design of LCE dimensions emerge as a promising approach. This paper initially explores LCE's fundamental physical properties, driving mechanisms, and alignment characteristics. Subsequently, it reviews the latest advancements in manufacturing technologies for LCE from zero‐dimensional (0D) to three‐dimensional (3D) architectures, emphasizing specific functionalities and potential applications. Finally, the paper summarizes current challenges and future opportunities.

ABSTRACT Modulation or tuning of geometric phase optical elements significantly broaden their working wavebands in multifunctional integration and capability of complex wavefront manipulation. Among various tuning mechanism, mechanical tuning provides a straightforward, energy‐efficient, and fast‐response method. However, current mechanical tuning method mainly focuses on metasurface based geometric phase optical elements, which usually faces complex fabrication process, high fabrication cost, and limited stretching ratio due to the limited elastic properties of metals. Herein, we propose mechanically tunable geometric phase optical element based on cholesteric liquid crystal elastomer (CLCE). Two typical geometric phase optical elements of CLCE grating and CLCE lens have been demonstrated, which shows the dynamic tuning capability both in diffraction angles/focal length, central wavelength, as well as diffraction efficiency during reversible mechanical modulation. Furthermore, an electrically tunable CLCE grating is successfully integrated through combining the CLCE grating with dielectric elastomers actuator, which provides fast tuning capability and compact design in beam manipulation. The proposed mechanical tunable geometric phase optical elements fabricated by CLCE provide a novel strategy for the development of new optical modulation devices in simultaneous wavefront control and dynamic operational band tuning for circularly polarized beam manipulation and display systems.

Optical needles and tubes have emerged as pivotal tools across diverse fields, yet their broader application is often constrained by trade-offs in resolution, depth of field (DoF), energy efficiency, or stability. In this study, we introduce and experimentally demonstrate a multifocal coupling strategy based on the circle Airy beam (CAB) to generate circle Airy optical needles (CAONs) and tubes (CAOTs). Implemented via a liquid crystal spatial light modulator (LC-SLM), the beam configurations were systematically verified and optimized using the angular spectrum method. Our results confirm that the optimized CAONs and CAOTs possess an extended DoF while maintaining super-diffraction-limited resolution and high resilience to optical perturbations. This methodology establishes a transformative foundation for advancing high-precision applications in biomedical manipulation, femtosecond laser processing, and volumetric imaging.

Programmable deformation control underpins next‐generation intelligent morphing devices. Liquid crystal networks (LCNs) offer exceptional potential due to their inherent anisotropy and multi‐field responsiveness. However, current 3D morphological programming in LCNs lacks decoupled control over deformation direction and magnitude, fundamentally limiting complex shape‐morphing capabilities. In this work, a deformation programming strategy for LCNs based on grayscale polarized ultroviolet (UV) exposure is proposed, where light intensity and polarization direction are used to separately control the order parameter from dichroism S d (0.014‐0.426) and azimuthal angle (0‐π) of LCs, thereby enabling spatially independent regulation of deformation magnitude and direction. By combining a vertically aligned polyimide layer to form a splay configuration, a one‐to‐one mapping between exposure parameters and deformation metrics is established, where a broad curvature range Δ p of LCNs from 0‐0.125 to 0.149‐2.320 cm −1 is obtained. Furthermore, an inverse design algorithm is developed to convert arbitrary 3D surface geometries into 2D exposure maps. Thermally responsive liquid lenses and biomimetic fingerprints validate the broad adaptability and practical feasibility of this strategy in constructing complex functional 3D morphologies. This study presents a universal platform for reversible 3D shaping in LCNs with hundreds‐of‐microns precision, enabling applications in soft robotics, adaptive optics, and bioinspired systems.

Significance Chiral emission with a high degree of circular polarization is of fundamental and technological importance for applications spanning display technologies, bioimaging, optical sensing, and medical diagnostics. In these contexts, the ability to efficiently generate and precisely control the chirality, directionality, and spectral properties of chiral emission is critical. However, conventional chiral luminescent materials typically suffer from an inherent trade-off between degree of circular polarization (DCP) and emission efficiency, originating from their weak intrinsic chirality, high spatial symmetry, and limited light-matter interaction strength. These constraints severely restrict their practical applicability in compact and high-performance photonic devices. Metasurfaces composed of artificial subwavelength two-dimensional (2D) nanostructures provide a powerful platform for overcoming these limitations. By enabling precise control over local electromagnetic fields and radiative channels, metasurfaces allow the decoupling of chiral selectivity from material intrinsic properties. Through rational structural design, metasurfaces enable systematic enhancement and control of luminescence properties, providing a viable pathway toward integrated, tunable, and high-performance chiral emission sources. As a result, metasurface-enabled chiral emission has emerged as a key enabling technology at the intersection of nanophotonics, materials science, and optoelectronics. Progress Recent years have witnessed rapid progress in metasurface-based chiral emission, driven by advances in nanofabrication, electromagnetic mode engineering, and emitter-structure coupling strategies. By introducing either extrinsic or intrinsic chirality, metasurfaces can effectively break spatial symmetry during the emission process, enabling accurate control over the luminescence properties of left and right circular polarization light. This has led to substantial enhancements in both the DCP and emission directionality. One important development lies in self-luminescent metasurfaces and metasurfaces integrated with external emitters, such as dye molecules, quantum dots, two-dimensional semiconductors, and halide perovskites. By patterning emissive materials directly into metasurface resonators or coupling them to carefully designed nanoantennas, strong interactions between emission processes and localized electromagnetic modes can be achieved. The subwavelength unit cells of metasurfaces generate asymmetric chiral fields, which selectively modify radiative transition rates and polarization-dependent emission pathways. In parallel, dielectric metasurfaces have gained increasing attention as a low-loss alternative to plasmonic systems. Dielectric metasurfaces, owing to their low optical losses and ability to support high-quality-factor resonances such as Mie resonances and quasi-bound states in the continuum (quasi-BICs), can simultaneously enhance emission efficiency, improve DCP, and generate narrow-linewidth emission. These features make them particularly attractive for narrow-linewidth, high-efficiency chiral laser sources. Beyond planar designs, three-dimensional chiral metasurfaces introduce additional geometric degrees of freedom for manipulating chiral emission. By incorporating three-dimensional chirality, such architectures can realize intrinsic chiral emission without relying on externally induced symmetry breaking. Compared with two-dimensional metasurfaces, three-dimensional designs offer greater flexibility in tailoring electromagnetic field distributions, light-matter interactions, and radiation channels. Despite ongoing challenges fabrication complexity and device integration, three-dimensional metasurfaces have demonstrated exceptional potential for advanced chiral photonic functionalities. Conclusions and Prospects In recent years, research on metasurface-based chiral emission has achieved rapid development. From extrinsic chirality to intrinsic chirality, and from two-dimensional geometric regulation to the construction of chiral fields in three-dimensional stacked structures, all have demonstrated enormous potential in luminescence enhancement, circular polarization modulation, and emission direction control. Compared with traditional chiral materials, metasurfaces offer greater advantages in design flexibility, tunable optical responses, and coupling efficiency with emitters, gradually making them a core platform for exploring chiral photonics devices. Through the implementation of strategies including oblique illumination, structural symmetry breaking, quasi-BIC resonances, and twisted stacking, researchers have achieved chiral emission exhibiting high DCP, enhanced radiative efficiency, and tunable emission direction across the visible to near-infrared spectral range. Among these, extrinsic chiral structures effectively utilize the asymmetric combination between incident light and the structure to realize chiral emission from achiral structures. Intrinsic chiral structures, in contrast, enable inherent control of chiral emission through geometric symmetry breaking and mode coupling. Moreover, diverse luminescent materials can strongly couple with metasurfaces, further enhancing emission intensity and circular polarization selectivity, and even enabling chiral lasing. However, current research still faces several challenges and opportunities for further development. First, chiral emission metasurfaces relying on plasmonic resonances suffer from intrinsic losses, resulting in relatively low radiative efficiency. Second, chiral emission systems incorporating multiple materials, operating across different spectral bands, and controllable by various external stimuli, are still at an early stage. Achieving broadband chiral emission spanning the visible to near-infrared range, or realizing electrically, mechanically, and thermally tunable chiral emission on a single platform, still requires breakthroughs in structural design and fabrication techniques. Third, the integration of metasurfaces into practical devices remains limited, including challenges in CMOS compatibility, uniform emitter deposition, and large-area fabrication stability. Research on metasurface-based chiral emission is expected to advance in the following directions: 1) development of chiral emission devices that simultaneously achieve high DCP and emission efficiency through all-dielectric metasurfaces or hybrid plasmonic-dielectric architectures; 2) integration with phase-change materials, liquid crystals, and flexible substrates to realize dynamically tunable and reconfigurable chiral emission; 3) incorporation of multilayer twisting and heterostructures to construct stronger and more controllable chiral responses with directional emission. Overall, chiral light-emitting metasurfaces offer unprecedented opportunities for advanced light sources, optical sensing, quantum optics, and photonic information processing. Continued advances in structural design, nanofabrication, and material platforms are expected to further enhance their impact in both fundamental physics and practical applications.

Undulatory movement is widely observed in the animal kingdom, from snakes and earthworms to microorganisms. Mimicking such deformation is important in soft robotics in terms of locomotion control and navigation efficiency. However, realizing such motion at miniature scales in fluid environments remains difficult for soft actuators. Here, we present light-controlled undulatory motion inspired by C. elegans, realized in a millimeter-scale liquid crystal elastomer (LCE) fiber actuator under water. We use the sequential excitation of four laser beams to generate bimorphic actuation between two segments of the LCE, with a 45-degree phase delay between two consequent deformation phases. The actuator demonstrates stable figure-eight-like trajectories and directional steering through laser power modulation. Furthermore, the actuation performance scales with fiber length, providing amplitude tuning and demonstrating programmable control of locomotion.

Manipulating circular dichroism in chiral metasurfaces has been increasingly important for a wide range of polarization-sensitive photonic applications. However, simple methods for presenting chiral nanostructures with tunable and considerable chiroptical responses in the near-infrared-I regime remains underexplored. Herein, two sheets of suspended symmetric bilayer metagratings fabricated via single-step electron beam lithography are stacked into a moiré metasurface with its circular dichroism value reaching up to 20.9°. The chirality of the moiré metasurface can be fully tuned in terms of both its sign and magnitude by adjusting the in-plane angle between the two twisted sheets of metagratings. The multilayered design is accessible to the coupling of hybridized plasmons for governing the chiroptical properties in the near-infrared-I regime. The ratio between the resonance wavelength and the grating period is about 1.65, which is much lower compared to that in most existing moiré metasurfaces with strong chiroptical responses. Furthermore, the superchiral fields in the inter-sheet region are further exploited for label-free enantiodiscrimination with ultrahigh sensitivity of 10.17 nm fmol-1 mm2. The proposed moiré metasurfaces with strong near-infrared-I chirality hold great potential for supporting polarization engineering and biomolecular detection, paving a way for advanced applications in medical diagnosis, biomedical imaging, and display technologies.

Rigid foldable origami, valued for its geometric programmability, load‐bearing capacity, and reconfigurability, is essential for applications in architecture, engineering, and biomedicine. Liquid crystal elastomer (LCE)‐based active origami offers reversible deformation, large actuation strain, and multi‐stimuli responsiveness but has been limited by alignment technology, hindering high‐resolution voxel‐to‐voxel alignment in 2D and vertical directions. Herein, a hybrid alignment strategy combining photoalignment and vertical polyimide (PI) alignment via a patterned mask is proposed, enabling precise molecular control in monolithic LCE films. This approach allows high‐resolution fabrication of voxel units in various forms, achieving precise control over folding patterns, curvature, angles, and kinetics. Several thermally and photo‐responsive LCE origamis in simulations and experiments are demonstrated, along with an LCE Miura‐ori‐based microwave metasurface that supports 46.8 times its weight and modulates microwave frequency and reflectance with 8.81 dB depth at 24.28 GHz. This strategy advances applications in biomimetic devices, deployable structures, and reconfigurable electromagnetic systems.