Regenerative cell sources such as bone marrow-multipotent stem cells (BM-MSCs) face poor survival after transplantation due to shear stress and anoikis in attachment-deprived conditions. Cell surface modification with type I collagen (Col I) may enhance cell survival in anoikis-inducing environment by mimicking cell-ECM interactions and activating Akt signaling. However, the relative contributions of biochemical versus mechanical signalling remain unclear. BM-MSCs were surface-modified with 2, 4, or 8 layers (L) of Col I and cultured on poly-2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate-coated vessels for 3 days. Col I retention, Akt activation, and cytoskeletal changes were analyzed by immunofluorescence. YAP nuclear translocation was measured to assess mechanotransduction. Col I persisted up to 10 h in 4L and 8L groups but not in 2L. All surface-modified groups showed membrane-localized Akt phosphorylation, while controls did not. Only the 8L group demonstrated significant anoikis resistance from day 1, exhibiting distinct ring-like actin arrangement within 2 h and enhanced YAP nuclear localization, indicating activation of mechanotransduction-associated responses. All surface-modified groups showed Akt phosphorylation, indicating biochemical signaling. The 4L group exhibited significantly higher survival by day 2, suggesting sustained biochemical signaling promotes survival. The 8L group showed superior survival from day 1 with increased YAP translocation and actin reorganization, demonstrating that mechanotransduction may contribute to an early survival advantage. This cell model enables differential investigation of biochemical and mechanical effects on cell survival.

Hyperspectral fluorescence microscopy enables important biological and clinical applications, but conventional systems are bulky or require scanning, limiting temporal resolution and throughput. We introduce a computational snapshot hyperspectral microscope that uses compressed sensing to achieve higher spatial-spectral resolution than traditional snapshot systems. Our device is compact ( 15 cm x 6 cm x 6 cm) and easily attaches to standard fluorescence microscopes. We benchmark our system against existing snapshot methods through simulations to evaluate its spatial and spectral performance. Experimental imaging of fluorescent beads, labeled cells, and lanthanide hydrogel beads demonstrates a practical, high-throughput solution for hyperspectral microscopy in biological and clinical applications.

Controlled dry assembly of functional granules is limited by rebound, stochastic occupancy, and the difficulty of combining impact-tolerant capture with clean release. Here, we report a materials-interface principle that converts random collisions into deterministic capture by programming a viscoelastic adhesive state via partial photopolymer conversion. Cure-state-controlled viscoelasticity suppresses rebound through a tunable threshold momentum (p 50) while shifting the adhesion mode from area-spanning conformal contact to localized, off-center binding. A geometric scale factor S enables single occupancy at S = 0.2, with 0.18% defects across 1104 traps and linear scalability from 4 to 100 sites. The platform supports detachment without detectable residue, stable reuse, and discrete granule manipulation yielding a quantitative PCR C t -load correlation of R 2 = 0.991. These results establish deterministic dry assembly through materials-level programming, without field-based actuation or precise contact alignment, for dry manufacturing and quantitative solid-state handling.

Grayscale photolithography enables single-shot fabrication of polymeric three-dimensional (3D) microstructures but is inherently limited by edge smoothing, reducing the resolution of sharp features critical for functional applications. We present an advanced single-shot photolithography method integrating an edge-tuning strategy, in which a tunable filter adjusts photomask edge gray levels via amplitude and standard deviation parameters. This approach produces sharply defined and structurally accurate microstructures without multi-step processing. Demonstrations include improved edge accuracy, uniform layer thickness, and functional 3D architectures, highlighting the method's potential for applications requiring both geometric precision and manufacturing efficiency.

Creating a macro-scale tissue without a scaffold is challenging, as it requires cells to bind cohesively throughout the tissue. When adherent cells are seeded in an attachment-deprived state, they typically form micro-sized spheroids rather than a single piece of cohesive tissue. In this study, cells flocculated with 0.1% hyaluronic acid and subjected to phase-separation by adding 5% polyethylene glycol (PEG) adhered to each other to form a single tissue mass. Further incubation in PEG-containing media induced a macromolecular crowding effect, creating stable cell-ECM interactions and a homogeneous texture. This process produced a macro-scale, slab-like tissue structure without scaffolds. The resulting slab tissues, constructed with bone marrow-derived multipotent stem cells (BM-MSCs) or chondrocytes, demonstrated high cellularity and a stabilized microstructure. Upon differentiation, these tissues showed excellent functionality, with superior chondrogenic potential in vitro. This study is the first report to demonstrate that cellular-level flocculation and phase-separation can control cell aggregation behavior to create macro-scale slab-like tissues without scaffolds while maintaining excellent cell functionality.

With the accelerating expansion of connectivity, the need for advanced cyber-physical security technologies that bridge the digital and physical worlds is becoming more crucial than ever. Physically unclonable functions (PUFs) leveraging nanotechnologies and photonic technologies are emerging as practical and deployable hardware security solutions that go beyond software-based hardware security. Optics- and photonics-based PUFs (often referred to as optical PUFs) offer a range of characteristics beneficial to multiplex strategies that incorporate multilevel and multimodal approaches, based on their fundamental optical and photonic properties. PUFs are categorized as multilevel when multiple responses are generated from a single type of challenge, such as a light source or optical tool. In contrast, they are classified as multimodal when multiple responses are created from various types of challenges involving a combination of different light sources and optical tools. This review highlights recent advances and progress in integrating emerging materials, detection tools, authentication methods, imaging techniques, reconfigurability, and unclonability, which are essential for advancing next-generation multiplex PUFs. To facilitate real-world applications and to support deployment in real-world senarios, we also discuss existing limitations in multiplex optical PUFs and explore potential strategies to overcome such challenges, supporting our increasingly hyperconnected society.

Multifarious detection and response mechanisms have been introduced and implemented because responsive materials, particularly hydrogel polymers, adopt certain transformations by external reactions and recover their original appearance. Heterogeneous structures are usually fabricated to obtain responsive hydrogels. In addition, component frame gradation methods have been applied to overcome the limitations of material composition. In this study, we present versatile responsive hydrogel structures that perform as sensor or actuator. The structures are fabricated using a defocusing maskless photolithography system with an objective lens, and consist of a single hydrogel-retained polymeric crosslinking density gradient. The hydrogel structures immersed in anhydrous hygroscopic solutions fail to swell, thereby maintaining their curved shapes. The solutions, improperly stored and left unattended, naturally absorb ambient moisture, and the resulting increase in water content enhances water–polymer interactions proportionally. This enhanced interaction induces swelling of the hydrogel, leading to curvature changes, enabling the structure to function as a sensor for detecting changes in liquid composition. By utilizing the structure, a change in moisture content of approximately 3% is easily verified without mechanical assistance. In contrast, temperature-dependent property changes in ethanol solutions with minimal water content predominantly affect solution–polymer interactions rather than polymer–polymer interactions. Reversible structural responses of the hydrogel are analyzed under repeated thermal cycling, and actuators such as a gripper and walking robot operating via thermal switching are successfully developed.

Self-assembled configurations are versatile for applications in which liquid-mediated phenomena are employed to ensure that static or mild physical interactions between assembling blocks take advantage of local energy minima. For granular materials, however, a particle's momentum in air leads to random collisions and the formation of disordered phases, eventually producing jammed configurations when densely packed. Therefore, unlike fluidic self-assembly, the self-assembly of dry particles typically lacks programmability based on density and ordering symmetry and has thus been limited in applications. Here, we present the self-assembly of particles with momentum, yielding regular arrays with programmable density and symmetry. The key is to embed anti-repellent structures, i.e. traps, that can capture kinetic particles individually and then robustly hold them against collisions with other momentum granules during a dynamic assembly procedure. By using anti-repellent traps, physical interactions between neighbouring particles can be inhibited, resolving many phenomena related to the uncertainty of space-sharing events in granular packing. With our self-assembly strategy, highly dense yet unjammed configurations are demonstrated, which conserve the inherent randomness in the location information of each granule in the trap and are useful for robust multilevel authentication systems as unique applications.

The ELISA is the most worldwide method for immunoassay. However, the ELISA is losing ground due to low reproducibility of manual experimental processes in both R&D and IVD areas. An automated platform is a good solution, but there are still limitations owning to extremely high cost and requiring large space to set up especially for a small size laboratory. Here, we present a novel all-in-one platform called "VEUS" settable on the laboratory table that offers comprehensive automation of the entire multiplex immunoassay process by exploiting antibody conjugated magnetic particles, quality control and then immunoanalytical reaction, thereby enhancing detection sensitivity and high reproducibility. As a proof of concept, the system exhibits a sensitive LOD of 0.6 and 3.1 pg mL-1 within 1 h run, comparable precision that of molecular diagnostic systems based on PCR method, enabling rapid multiplex diagnosis of Influenza A, Influenza B, and COVID-19 viruses with similar symptoms. Through automation by the all-in-one system, it can be used by novice users, something innovative for immunoassays, relying heavily on user experience. Furthermore, it can contribute to streamline entire immunoassay processes of diverse biomarkers with high reproducibility and convenience in laboratories.

Additive manufacturing has sought active and interactive means of creating predictable structures with diverse materials. Compared to such active manufacturing tools, current crystallization strategies remain in statistical and passive programs of crystals via macroscale thermodynamic controllers, commonly lacking active means to intervene in crystal growth in a spatiotemporal manner. Herein, a strategy toward active and interactive programming and reprogramming of crystals, realized by real-time tangible feedback on growing crystals by delicately controlling the degree of in-situ, localized photopolymerization of polymeric structures via additive manufacturing is presented. Using this strategy, crystals can be seeded, guided, and even reprogrammed in a supersaturated liquid resin. In principle, the localized formation of sparse polymeric networks within supercooled resins can induce density fluctuation to trigger seed nucleation instantaneously, whereas the formation of dense networks can lower molecules' mobilities to inhibit crystal growth. Assisted by these active triggers and deterministic procedural aspects in additive manufacturing, growing crystals can be tangibly interacted through programmed polymeric structures, strengthening deterministic characteristics in crystal growth. It is suggested that crystal growth can be programmable with deterministic hierarchies within the created crystal's morphologies within the background of inherent stochasticity in crystallization, launching an era of convolutional growth of crystals.

Physical unclonable functions (PUFs) have attracted interest in demonstrating authentication and cryptographic processes for Internet of Things (IoT) devices. We demonstrated four-dimensional PUFs (4D PUFs) to realize time-varying chaotic phosphorescent randomness on MoS2 atomic seeds. By forming hybrid states involving more than one emitter with distinct lifetimes in 4D PUFs, irregular lifetime distribution throughout patterns functions as a time-varying disorder that is impossible to replicate. Moreover, we established a bit extraction process incorporating multiple 64 bit-stream challenges and experimentally obtained physical features of 4D PUFs, producing countless random 896 bit-stream responses. Furthermore, the weak and strong PUF models were conceptualized and demonstrated based on 4D PUFs, exhibiting superior cryptological performances, including randomness, uniqueness, degree of freedom, and independent bit ratio. Finally, the data encryption and decryption in pictures were performed by a single 4D PUF. Therefore, 4D PUFs could enhance the counterfeiting deterrent of existing optical PUFs and be used as an anticounterfeiting security strategy for advanced authentication and cryptographic processes of IoT devices.

Anticounterfeiting tags affixed to products offer a practical solution to combat counterfeiting. To be effective, these tags must be economical, capable of ultrafast production, mass-producible, easy to authenticate, and automatable. We present a universal laser ablation technique that rapidly generates intrinsic, randomly distributed craters (in under a second) on laser-sensitive materials using a nanosecond pulsed infrared laser. The laser and scanning line parameters are balanced to produce randomly distributed craters. The tag patterns demonstrate high randomness, which is analyzed using pattern recognition algorithms and root mean square error deviation. The optical image information of the tag is digitized with a fixed bit uniformity of 0.5 without employing any debiasing algorithm. The efficacy of tags for anticounterfeiting is presented by securing the challenge associated with each tag. Statistical NIST tests are successfully performed on responses generated from both single and multiple tags, demonstrating the true randomness of the sequence of binary digits. The single(multiple) tag(s) achieved an actual encoding capacity of approximately 10391 (10518) and a low false rate (both positive and negative) on the order of 10−58 (10−50). Our findings introduce a laser-based method for anticounterfeiting tag generation, allowing for ultrafast and straightforward product processing with minimal fabrication and tag cost. Methods to realise anticounterfeiting labels should be fast, easy to implement, cheap, and applicable to several different substrates. Here, the authors demonstrate how to use laser ablation to produce randomly distributed craters that can be used as anticounterfeiting tags.

The digital twins (DTs) represent critical components for the simulation, analysis, and optimization of physical systems, with significant implications for efficiency and cost management in 6G network applications. The introduction of multi-tier computing has the potential to enable a more streamlined integration of DTs in 6G networks by offering services at the edge network level. However, this integration brings about various complexities related to the placement and maintenance of DTs within edge networks, thus increasing the processing latency. To address these problems, we investigate the application of quantum computing, which exploits quantum principles such as superposition and entanglement, and offers potential resolutions for these computational dilemmas. In this paper, we formulate the DT placement problem to incorporate variational quantum circuits for learning agents within a multi-agent reinforcement learning framework. In particular, quantum multi-agent reinforcement learning is proposed to establish an optimal policy for associating DTs with edge networks. This approach aims to reduce latency while adhering to the computational resource limitations of the edge server. Simulation results illustrate the proficiency and robustness of quantum multi-agent actor-critic networks in acquiring a policy that ameliorates the reward function, hence decreasing latency while adhering to the optimization constraints. This study contributes to the evolving field of quantum computing applications in multi-tier environments and provides methodological insights for optimizing DT deployment in 6G networks.

Magnetorheological elastomers (MREs) are in demand in the field of high-tech microindustries and nanoindustries such as biomedical applications and soft robotics due to their exquisite magneto-sensitive response. Among various MRE applications, programmable actuators are emerging as promising soft robots because of their combined advantages of excellent flexibility and precise controllability in a magnetic system. Here, we present the development of magnetically programmable soft magnetic microarray actuators through field-induced injection molding using MREs, which consist of styrene-ethylene/butylene styrene (SEBS) elastomer and carbonyl iron powder (CIP). The ratio of the CIP/SEBS matrix was designed to maximize the CIP fraction based on a critical solids loading. Further, as part of the design of the magnetization distribution in micropillar arrays, the magnetorheological response of the molten composites was analyzed using the static and dynamic viscosity results for both the on and off magnetic states, which reflected the particle dipole interaction and subsequent particle alignment during the field-induced injection molding process. To develop a high-aspect-ratio soft magnetic microarray, X-ray lithography was applied to prepare the sacrificial molds with a height-to-width ratio of 10. The alignment of the CIP was designed to achieve a parallel magnetic direction along the micropillar columns, and consequently, the micropillar arrays successfully achieved the uniform and large bending actuation of up to approximately 81° with an applied magnetic field. This study suggests that the injection molding process offers a promising manufacturing approach to build a programmable soft magnetic microarray actuator.

This article presents an iris-mimicking polymeric microparticle with randomly generated silica film cracks to be utilized as a wet-phase micro security taggant. The microparticles are designed to replicate the capillary patterns in the human iris, providing high data capacity and stability, making them ideal for authentication. Furthermore, the microparticles integrate a QR code within the pupillary zone of the iris, enabling pupillary authentication to enhance two-factor identification and elevate overall security levels an unprecedented feature absent in conventional iris recognition systems. The resulting artificial iris-mimicking microparticles have high coding efficiency and unique characteristics and can be authenticated in the wet phase, making them suitable for use as micro security taggants. The article presents polymeric microparticles that mimic iris patterns with silica film cracks, integrating QR codes for enhanced two-factor authentication, making them suitable for wet-phase micro security taggants. image

An increase in the number of small electronics is anticipated, requiring the preparation of an adequate powering method. A triboelectric nanogenerator, capable of scavenging ambient mechanical energy, is proposed as an efficient means to reduce power consumption for self-sustainable sensors, although its electrical output needs enhancement to broaden its technological applicability. In this work, a magnetic composite comprising iron oxide and polyaniline was synthesized to augment triboelectricity through the modulation of magnetic field intensity using physical chemistry. The crystallinity of the composite, chemical bonding, and structure of the surface are analyzed. The surface potential of the composite, embedded into polydimethylsiloxane, is quantitatively evaluated by using Kelvin probe force microscopy. By amalgamating magnetic flux density and triboelectric outputs, the optimization of the triboelectric layer is achieved, yielding output values of 93.86 V, 6.9 µA, and 127.5 µW. Following a reduction in surface adhesion after the powder coating process, a wind-based triboelectric nanogenerator is fabricated. Its excellent sensitivity to wind and exceptional long-term endurance are assessed, confirming its suitability as a sensor. The practicality of employing this device in intrusion detection, leveraging a wireless door-opening sensor, is demonstrated using synthesized composite materials.

Inconel 718 nickel-based alloy is extensively used in the aerospace industry (e.g., gas turbine engine components) because of its excellent corrosion resistance and high mechanical properties at elevated temperatures. However, there is a certain limit to manufacturing the alloy through plastic deformation due to its high deformation resistance and complicated deformation behaviors. In this study, the hot deformation behavior of Inconel 718 alloy was investigated to establish how processing conditions of flow stress-strain, at strain rates from 0.001 to 10 s-1, and temperatures from 850 to 1200oC, affected dynamic recrystallization. The regression-based material model was utilized to calculate the strain-rate sensitivity, and subsequently depict the efficiency of the power dissipation and instability criterion of hot deformation. The processing map and instability criterion predicted by the developed 3rd-order polynomial regression model corresponded with the experimental results and in particular, showed a better prediction for instability regime compared to the existing discrete derivative approach. Predicting the strain-rate sensitivity values on a continuous scale with regression analysis covered the additional instability region of the high strain rate near 10 s-1. The dynamic recrystallization deformation was also characterized by microstructural analysis along with the processing map. Consequently, ring-rolled aviation parts were manufactured with the optimum processing parameters, which conform to the AMS 5663 standard (Aerospace material specifications for Inconel 718).

Magnetic soft composites have emerged as a promising soft actuator with a high degree of precision in the magnetic field stimuli system. But, their mass manufacturing strategies have yet to be developed, and most studies focus on small-scale near-net shaping production. Here, we first apply injection molding (which only takes a few seconds to shape) to fabricate the stimuli-responsive flexible micropillar composites with magnetic particle alignment design using an external magnetic field. The arrays exhibit magnetically anisotropic particle alignment up to 82.57 % along the longitudinal direction, showing a magnetic bending actuation response. We achieve a structural novelty of the magnetic micropillar with a high aspect ratio of up to 10 and pattern sizes of 50 μm via sacrificial LIGA insert mold and magneto-induced injection molding. For advanced mass production, the permanent metal mold is also applied to develop the micropillar composites based on the mechanical demolding approach; successful manufacturing is achieved by fabricating defect-free micropillar with 200 μm cylindrical pattern size and aspect ratio of 6. Further, the effect of powder volume fraction on the magneto-rheological behavior and corresponding magnetic performance is characterized in the injection molding process. The magnetic particle alignment trend is confirmed by the torque balance and the criteria of critical solids loading. Finally, we establish an injection molding process for magnetic soft composites, and verify the optimal powder fraction for the particle alignment.

We present an advanced anticounterfeiting strategy utilizing quick-response (QR)-coded microparticles to address the challenges of static data content and ease of replication associated with traditional QR codes. This study integrates openly accessible frame QR codes with hidden content QR codes, visible only under fluorescence microscopy, thereby enhancing security measures against counterfeiting. Microparticles were fabricated using a combination of polyurethane acrylate resin and 2,2-dimethoxy-2-phenylacetophenone, which serves as both a photoinitiator and a photoluminescent material under ultraviolet (UV) light. Leveraging the advantages of QR-coded microparticles, including biofriendliness, potential for mass production, and scalability, the design enables high decodability without fluorescent materials by producing dot-type QR code modules. The fabrication process involves optofluidic maskless lithography for frame QR code formation, followed by postcuring to enhance morphological stability and photolithography to embed the content QR code as additional data. This advanced method enables dynamic control over the visibility of the embedded content QR code by manipulating UV irradiation time, providing customizable content for security by changing the UV exposure pattern without changing the materials. Our findings suggest that these QR-coded microparticles offer a scalable and versatile anticounterfeiting solution capable of incorporating visible and covert security features.