Ice-assisted electron-beam lithography (iEBL) utilizes cryogenic ice layers as resists for micro/nanofabrication. Water ice, the most widely used positive-tone resist, exhibits a high critical dose that limits lithographic efficiency. Here, we investigate solid carbon dioxide (CO2) as a potential alternative. Lithographic characterization via SEM shows that solid CO2 has a critical dose an order of magnitude lower than that of water ice. To investigate electron-induced chemical pathways, mixed cryogenic CO2/H2O ices were irradiated with a 10 MeV linear electron beam. Volatile products were monitored in situ using quadrupole mass spectrometry. Hydrogen and methane were detected as reaction products, with methane formation strongly dependent on the repetition frequency. These results establish CO2 as a promising resist material and provide mechanistic insight into electron-stimulated decomposition in iEBL.

Multiscenario adaptability is a core target of emerging human-machine interaction (HMI) technologies, but conventional visual HMI relies on ambient light illumination, failing to adapt to low-/no-light scenarios. Here, we propose a static-electricity-induced luminescence (SEL) trajectory tracking model, and develop a portable SEL platform integrated with SrAl2O4:Eu2+/polydimethylsiloxane film, featuring 5 to 50 kV operating voltage, 13 mm noncontact distance, ≥150-day stability, 400 K thermal tolerance, and <1 nA body current for high biosafety. Comprehensive mechanism investigations offer a deep and scientific mechanistic understanding of SEL, focusing on the interactions between air ionization, electron bombardment, and trap-state dynamics. Integration with a centroid displacement tracking algorithm and convolutional neural network, it achieves high-accuracy digit recognition and complex robot arm interactive motions, with 2.4× shorter training time and two orders of magnitude faster recognition speed (6.6 ms versus 730 ms in 192.5 lux) than mainstream gesture recognition. This work not only breaks illumination constraints for adaptive HMI but also provides a promising SEL-based HMI paradigm.

To date,various micro/nanofabrication techniques have been developed during the global nanotechnology race,such as electron-beam lithography[1],photolithography[2],nanoimprint lithography[3],and 3D nanoprinting[4,5].Benefiting from these functional techniques,micro/nanoscale patterns can be easily gen-erated onto a broad range of materials,including metals,semicon-ductors,ceramics,and polymers.However,a bold and even visionary question can be raised,is it possible to make patterns on living organisms rather than inanimate objects?Despite the emergence of numerous electronic devices for biological applica-tions,directly processing biological samples remains a challenge due to the poor biocompatibility of many micro/nanofabrication methods[6].Researchers have attempted to prepare and transfer micro/nanopatterns onto cell surfaces[7],the structural integrity of these modifications can be compromised by the growth and development of cells during culture.Moreover,intact animal skin presents greater challenges for integration with metal patterns compared to cell surfaces.

Mechanoluminescence (ML) is bringing a paradigm-shifting for next-generation light-based human–robot interaction. However, the overlooked character of ML temporal dynamic response remains a critical barrier to overcoming the limitation of mechano-optical conversion efficiency. Here, by resolving the dynamic interplay among stimuli rate, interfacial charge accumulation and ML performance of three typical materials, like ZnS:Cu 2+ , SrAl 2 O 4 :Eu 2+ ,Dy 3+ , Y 3 Al 5 O 12 :Ce 3+ , the cognition of ML has been deeply understand. Obviously, the ML performance is predominantly governed by the cross-coupling of stimuli rate and stimuli time rather than absolute stress magnitude. For the first time, the optimal stretching stimulation rate for commercial ZnS:Cu 2+ , SrAl 2 O 4 :Eu 2+ ,Dy 3+ and Y 3 Al 5 O 12 :Ce 3+ are respectively determined as ~ 10.3 Mpa/s, ~ 11.0 Mpa/s, ~ 31.9 Mpa/s, which is of great significance for obtaining high-performance ML behavior, and an ubiquitous ML hysteresis phenomenon is demonstrated originating from a time-consuming mechano-electro-optical conversion process even existing in trap-controlled SrAl 2 O 4 :Eu 2+ ,Dy 3+ . Moreover, a qualitative relationship for ML brightness (MLB), stimuli rate ( sr ), stimuli time ( st ), inherent interfacial triboelectricity coefficient ( iitre ) and relative interfacial triboelectricity coefficient ( ritre ) is established as MLB = f ( sr )* g ( st )* p ( iitre )* q ( ritre ) for guiding the design of ML elastomers. For instance, based on this equation, a topology-optimized Y 3 Al 5 O 12 :Ce 3+ @polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomer is engineered, achieving unprecedented 693 times brighter emission, 78% lower stress threshold and 20% lighter weight, which is successfully applied in remote control (~ 450 m) of quadruped robot. Three main contributions of this work include: (i) demonstrating the influence law of temporal dynamic stimulation on ML performance. (ii) resolving long-standing mechano-optical asynchrony debates. (iii) establishing a universal guideline for designing high-performance ML platforms.

Micro/nanofabrication techniques have revolutionized modern photonics and electronics. However, conventional methods remain incompatible with living organisms due to inherent constraints including nonconformal coating, radiation damage, and toxic solvent requirements. Here, we present ice lithography for direct fabrication of micro/nanoscale patterns on the surfaces of tardigrades in their cryptobiotic state. Remarkably, upon rehydration the tardigrades revive, retaining the patterns on their surfaces. By precisely controlling parameters such as ice thickness, beam energy, and substrate properties, this method minimizes sample damage while achieving patterns as small as 72 nm. These patterns remain stable even after stretching, solvent immersion, rinsing, and drying. This approach provides new insights into tardigrades' resilience and has potential applications in cryopreservation, biomedicine, and astrobiology. Furthermore, integrating micro/nanofabrication techniques with living organisms could catalyze advancements in biosensing, biomimetics, and living microrobotics.

Effective heat dissipation is crucial for wearable devices, especially with the increasing popularity of augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) systems, which are typically in direct contact with human skin. However, cooling such devices remains a significant challenge due to their compact size and limited battery life. Here, we demonstrate a transparent radiative cooler with high thermal conductivity as an optical lens of smart glasses to achieve efficient thermal management. By integrating silicon carbide, used for enhanced thermal conduction, with an SiO2/TiO2/ITO multilayer structure, engineered for visible-light antireflection and radiative cooling, the surface temperature of the miniature projector, a major heat-generating component in smart glasses, is reduced from 54.3 degrees C above ambient to 29.1 degrees C under air convection. Notably, such a proposed cooler provides significant heat dissipation by simply depositing a micron-thick film without any external components, making it a promising solution for thermal management in modern electronic devices.

As information interaction technology advances, the efficiency, dimensionality, and user experience of information transmission have significantly improved. Communication has evolved from letters to telegraphs, markedly increasing transmission speed; from telephones to video calls, enhancing communication dimensions; and from smartphones to augmented reality (AR) displays, which provide increasingly immersive user experiences. Surface relief grating (SRG) diffractive waveguides have attracted considerable attention for their optimal balance between weight, size, optical performance, and mass production capabilities, positioning them as a leading solution for AR displays. However, as consumer expectations for higher display quality and better device integration rise, traditional high-refractive-index glass-based diffractive waveguides face limitations, including bulkiness, heavy weight, and conspicuous rainbow artifacts in full-color displays. To overcome these challenges, a novel solution: ultra-thin, lightweight silicon carbide (SiC) AR prescription glasses was proposed. This solution achieves full-color displays without rainbow artifacts, with total weight of just 2.685 g and thickness of only 0.55 mm. Moreover, these glasses are compatible with prescription Fresnel lenses and are well-suited for scalable mass production. This innovation provides a robust platform for the seamless integration of augmented reality into daily life, offering significant potential to enhance user interaction.

Highly sensitive and integrated optical multi-band CO2 sensors are significant at the shortwave infrared (SWIR) region and still lack research. A compact CO2 sensor composed of a Au-disk/TiO2-cylinder/Au-film metasurface coated by polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB) film, functioning at multi-band resonances as well as having high sensitivity to gas concentrations, is presented. It can be employed as a dual-band narrowband absorber, producing two strongly resonant modes at the SWIR region under a reflection-type framework of linearly polarized incidence. Moreover, the metasurface sensor possesses high refractive index sensitivity of 109.25 pm/ppm at around 1040 nm and 42.57 pm/ppm at around 1330 nm in the range of 200–600 ppm, which is suitable for detecting atmospheric CO2. Furthermore, the numerical results show that the sensitivity increases with a thicker PHMB film and optimizes at a thickness above 600 nm. The physical mechanism reveals that the higher order mode exhibits more extended near-field energy than the lower order mode, resulting in more sensitivity towards the surroundings. The design and results of our investigation show high-quality CO2 sensing performance which functions at dual spectrum bands in the SWIR region and is promising for integrated photonic applications.

Nanotechnology and nanoscience are enabled by nanofabrication. Electron-beam lithography, which makes 2D patterns down to a few nanometers, is one of the fundamental pillars of nanofabrication. Recently, significant progress in 3D electron-beam-based nanofabrication has been made, such as the emerging ice lithography technology, in which ice thin-films are patterned by a focused electron-beam. Here, we review the history and progress of ice lithography, and focus on its applications in efficient 3D nanofabrication and additive manufacturing or nanoscale 3D printing. The finest linewidth made using frozen octane is below 5 nm, and nanostructures can be fabricated in selected areas on non-planar surfaces such as freely suspended nanotubes or nanowires. As developing custom instruments is required to advance this emerging technology, we discuss the evolution of ice lithography instruments and highlight major instrumentation advances. Finally, we present the perspectives of 3D printing of functional materials using organic ices. We believe that we barely scratched the surface of this new and exciting research area, and we hope that this review will stimulate cutting-edge and interdisciplinary research that exploits the undiscovered potentials of ice lithography for 3D photonics, electronics and 3D nanodevices for biology and medicine.

Ganoderma lucidum spores (GLS) are well known for disease treatment and vitality enhancement, and have been shown to contain a variety of bioactive components, such as polysaccharides and triterpenes. However, the resilient bilayer sporoderm structure of GLS restricts the release of bioactive components and limits its complete pharmacological effects. The current study was aimed to improve the quality of GLS by means of a customized sonication technique, particularly, the effect of sonication processing parameters on GLS-breaking efficiencies was investigated. Significant morphological changes, such as cracked, fractured, and disintegrated GLS were observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) after sonication treatment. The performance for breaking GLS sporoderm was obtained at ultrasonic power density of 23.7 W/cm(2) , duty cycle 100%, and 90-min processing time. Through the combination of sonication in an ice bath, sporoderm breaking efficiency can be further increased from 45% to almost 75%. FTIR analysis revealed an increase in bioactive components of polysaccharide, protein, and fatty acid from the sonication processed GLS when compared to ground spores available commercially. The current results indicated that the ice bath combined sonication method is more effective in delivering GLS ingredients and could be an economic technique for the production of high-quality broken sporoderm GLS.