Pub Date : 2025-11-17DOI: 10.1038/s41565-025-02056-2
Demid V. Sychev, Peigang Chen, Yuheng Chen, Morris Yang, Colton Fruhling, Alexei Lagutchev, Alexander V. Kildishev, Alexandra Boltasseva, Vladimir M. Shalaev
The distinctive characteristics of light, such as high-speed and low-loss propagation, low crosstalk and low power consumption, along with the unique quantum properties of photons, make it most suitable for various applications in communications, high-resolution imaging, optical computing and quantum information technologies. One limiting factor, however, is the weak optical nonlinearity of conventional media, which poses challenges for controlling light at ultralow intensities. Here we demonstrate all-optical modulation of the refractive index enabled by the electron avalanche process in silicon using a control beam with single-photon light intensities. The observed process corresponds to an extremely high nonlinear refractive index of $${n}_{2}approx 1.3times {10}^{-2},{{rm{m}}}^{2},{{rm{W}}}^{-1}$$ , which is several orders of magnitude higher than those of the best-known nonlinear optical materials. Using single photons for light modulation opens the possibility of gigahertz-frequency—and potentially even faster—optical switching for on-chip photonic and quantum devices operating at room temperature. Electron avalanche multiplication can enable an all-optical modulator controlled by single photons.
{"title":"All-optical modulation with single photons using an electron avalanche","authors":"Demid V. Sychev, Peigang Chen, Yuheng Chen, Morris Yang, Colton Fruhling, Alexei Lagutchev, Alexander V. Kildishev, Alexandra Boltasseva, Vladimir M. Shalaev","doi":"10.1038/s41565-025-02056-2","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41565-025-02056-2","url":null,"abstract":"The distinctive characteristics of light, such as high-speed and low-loss propagation, low crosstalk and low power consumption, along with the unique quantum properties of photons, make it most suitable for various applications in communications, high-resolution imaging, optical computing and quantum information technologies. One limiting factor, however, is the weak optical nonlinearity of conventional media, which poses challenges for controlling light at ultralow intensities. Here we demonstrate all-optical modulation of the refractive index enabled by the electron avalanche process in silicon using a control beam with single-photon light intensities. The observed process corresponds to an extremely high nonlinear refractive index of $${n}_{2}approx 1.3times {10}^{-2},{{rm{m}}}^{2},{{rm{W}}}^{-1}$$ , which is several orders of magnitude higher than those of the best-known nonlinear optical materials. Using single photons for light modulation opens the possibility of gigahertz-frequency—and potentially even faster—optical switching for on-chip photonic and quantum devices operating at room temperature. Electron avalanche multiplication can enable an all-optical modulator controlled by single photons.","PeriodicalId":18915,"journal":{"name":"Nature nanotechnology","volume":"21 1","pages":"71-77"},"PeriodicalIF":34.9,"publicationDate":"2025-11-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145531527","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Aqueous zinc metal batteries are ideal candidates for grid storage applications. However, their practical application is hindered by a narrow operating temperature range and a limited electrolyte electrochemical stability window, both of which can be attributed to the water activity. Here, to minimize water activity in the electrolyte solution, we introduce a nanoengineered approach in which the water molecules are confined within a hydrophilic–hydrophobic water solvation sheath. The hydrogen-bond interaction with the hydrophilic groups in the inner solvation layer effectively suppresses water decomposition, and the hydrophobic solvents in the outer solvation layer establish a repulsive effect against water molecules. As a proof of concept, a hydrophobic and non-polar hydrofluoroether cosolvent is introduced into a Zn-ion aqueous electrolyte solution and tested together with various fluorinated hydrotrope molecules to favour the compatibility of the cosolvent with water. By such a water confinement strategy, an average Zn plating/stripping reversibility of 99.92% is achieved for over 4,000 cycles at 2.0 mA cm−2 and 2.0 mAh cm−2 in a Zn||Cu coin cell configuration. When tested in a Zn||VOPO4·2H2O lab-scale cell configuration, the selected aqueous-hydrotrope hybrid electrolyte solution enables long-lasting and highly reversible battery performance across temperatures from −80 °C to +60 °C. Aqueous-hydrotrope hybrid liquid electrolyte solutions enable overcoming the electrochemical stability window and operational temperature limits of aqueous electrolyte solutions in secondary zinc-based batteries, also improving the battery performance.
含水锌金属电池是电网存储应用的理想选择。然而，它们的实际应用受到较窄的工作温度范围和有限的电解质电化学稳定窗口的阻碍，这两者都可以归因于水活性。在这里，为了最小化电解质溶液中的水活性，我们引入了一种纳米工程方法，其中水分子被限制在亲疏水的水溶剂化鞘中。氢键与内溶剂化层亲水性基团的相互作用有效抑制了水的分解，外溶剂化层的疏水溶剂对水分子建立了排斥作用。作为概念验证，将疏水和非极性氢氟醚共溶剂引入锌离子水溶液电解质中，并与各种含氟的水分子一起测试，以支持助溶剂与水的相容性。通过这种水约束策略，在锌||铜硬币电池结构中，在2.0 mA cm - 2和2.0 mAh cm - 2下，平均镀锌/剥离可逆性达到99.92%，超过4000次循环。当在Zn|| voo4·2H2O实验室规模的电池配置中进行测试时，所选的水-水混合电解质溶液在−80°C至+60°C的温度范围内具有持久和高度可逆的电池性能。水-疏水混合电解质溶液能够克服二次锌基电池中水溶液的电化学稳定窗口和工作温度限制，提高电池性能。
{"title":"Nanoengineered aqueous-hydrotrope hybrid liquid electrolyte solutions for efficient zinc batteries across a wide temperature range","authors":"Xueying Zheng, Haotian Zhu, Zhongqiang Wang, Hua Yang, Ruhong Li, Wei Luo, Wang Hay Kan, Yiming Dai, Haikuo Zhang, Jinze Wang, Huilin Cui, Xiulin Fan, Chunyi Zhi, Yunhui Huang","doi":"10.1038/s41565-025-02060-6","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41565-025-02060-6","url":null,"abstract":"Aqueous zinc metal batteries are ideal candidates for grid storage applications. However, their practical application is hindered by a narrow operating temperature range and a limited electrolyte electrochemical stability window, both of which can be attributed to the water activity. Here, to minimize water activity in the electrolyte solution, we introduce a nanoengineered approach in which the water molecules are confined within a hydrophilic–hydrophobic water solvation sheath. The hydrogen-bond interaction with the hydrophilic groups in the inner solvation layer effectively suppresses water decomposition, and the hydrophobic solvents in the outer solvation layer establish a repulsive effect against water molecules. As a proof of concept, a hydrophobic and non-polar hydrofluoroether cosolvent is introduced into a Zn-ion aqueous electrolyte solution and tested together with various fluorinated hydrotrope molecules to favour the compatibility of the cosolvent with water. By such a water confinement strategy, an average Zn plating/stripping reversibility of 99.92% is achieved for over 4,000 cycles at 2.0 mA cm−2 and 2.0 mAh cm−2 in a Zn||Cu coin cell configuration. When tested in a Zn||VOPO4·2H2O lab-scale cell configuration, the selected aqueous-hydrotrope hybrid electrolyte solution enables long-lasting and highly reversible battery performance across temperatures from −80 °C to +60 °C. Aqueous-hydrotrope hybrid liquid electrolyte solutions enable overcoming the electrochemical stability window and operational temperature limits of aqueous electrolyte solutions in secondary zinc-based batteries, also improving the battery performance.","PeriodicalId":18915,"journal":{"name":"Nature nanotechnology","volume":"21 1","pages":"95-105"},"PeriodicalIF":34.9,"publicationDate":"2025-11-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145531934","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-14DOI: 10.1038/s41565-025-02077-x
Guoming Gao, Emily R. Sumrall, Nils G. Walter
Biomolecular condensates regulate cellular physiology by sequestering and processing RNAs and proteins, yet how these processes are locally tuned within condensates remains unclear. Moreover, in neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, condensates undergo liquid-to-solid phase transitions, but capturing early intermediates in this process has been challenging. Here we present a surface multi-tethering approach to achieve intra-condensate single-molecule tracking of fluorescently labelled RNA and protein molecules within liquid-like condensates. Using RNA-binding protein fused-in-sarcoma as a model for condensates implicated in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, we discover that RNA and protein diffusion is confined within distinct nanometre-scale domains, or nanodomains, which exhibit unique connectivity and chemical environments. The properties of these nanodomains are tunable by guest molecules. As condensates age, nanodomains reposition, facilitating fused-in-sarcoma fibrilization at the condensate surface, a process further enhanced by anti-amyotrophic lateral sclerosis drugs. Our findings demonstrate that nanodomain formation governs condensate function by modulating the residence time and spatial organization of constituent biomolecules, providing previously unattainable insights into condensate ageing and mechanisms underlying disease. Single-molecule tracking reveals nanoscale domains within fused-in-sarcoma condensates. These nanodomains migrate to the condensate surface during ageing, seeding amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-linked fibrils, a process accelerated by small-molecule drugs.
{"title":"Nanoscale domains govern local diffusion and ageing within fused-in-sarcoma condensates","authors":"Guoming Gao, Emily R. Sumrall, Nils G. Walter","doi":"10.1038/s41565-025-02077-x","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41565-025-02077-x","url":null,"abstract":"Biomolecular condensates regulate cellular physiology by sequestering and processing RNAs and proteins, yet how these processes are locally tuned within condensates remains unclear. Moreover, in neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, condensates undergo liquid-to-solid phase transitions, but capturing early intermediates in this process has been challenging. Here we present a surface multi-tethering approach to achieve intra-condensate single-molecule tracking of fluorescently labelled RNA and protein molecules within liquid-like condensates. Using RNA-binding protein fused-in-sarcoma as a model for condensates implicated in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, we discover that RNA and protein diffusion is confined within distinct nanometre-scale domains, or nanodomains, which exhibit unique connectivity and chemical environments. The properties of these nanodomains are tunable by guest molecules. As condensates age, nanodomains reposition, facilitating fused-in-sarcoma fibrilization at the condensate surface, a process further enhanced by anti-amyotrophic lateral sclerosis drugs. Our findings demonstrate that nanodomain formation governs condensate function by modulating the residence time and spatial organization of constituent biomolecules, providing previously unattainable insights into condensate ageing and mechanisms underlying disease. Single-molecule tracking reveals nanoscale domains within fused-in-sarcoma condensates. These nanodomains migrate to the condensate surface during ageing, seeding amyotrophic lateral sclerosis-linked fibrils, a process accelerated by small-molecule drugs.","PeriodicalId":18915,"journal":{"name":"Nature nanotechnology","volume":"21 2","pages":"249-258"},"PeriodicalIF":34.9,"publicationDate":"2025-11-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145510031","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-13DOI: 10.1038/s41565-025-02095-9
Metal–organic frameworks are transitioning from laboratory curiosity to industrially viable materials driven by extensive community efforts to enhance their functionality and stability, and by breakthroughs in large-scale manufacturing.
{"title":"Metal–organic frameworks for the future","authors":"","doi":"10.1038/s41565-025-02095-9","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41565-025-02095-9","url":null,"abstract":"Metal–organic frameworks are transitioning from laboratory curiosity to industrially viable materials driven by extensive community efforts to enhance their functionality and stability, and by breakthroughs in large-scale manufacturing.","PeriodicalId":18915,"journal":{"name":"Nature nanotechnology","volume":"20 11","pages":"1539-1539"},"PeriodicalIF":34.9,"publicationDate":"2025-11-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.comhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41565-025-02095-9.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145513530","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-13DOI: 10.1038/s41565-025-02051-7
Yi Hou
An optimized gold nanolayer drives record efficiency in perovskite triple-junction solar cells, bringing laboratory performance closer to theoretical limits.
优化的金纳米层驱动钙钛矿三结太阳能电池的创纪录效率，使实验室性能更接近理论极限。
{"title":"Interface engineering in triple-junction perovskite solar cells","authors":"Yi Hou","doi":"10.1038/s41565-025-02051-7","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41565-025-02051-7","url":null,"abstract":"An optimized gold nanolayer drives record efficiency in perovskite triple-junction solar cells, bringing laboratory performance closer to theoretical limits.","PeriodicalId":18915,"journal":{"name":"Nature nanotechnology","volume":"21 1","pages":"13-14"},"PeriodicalIF":34.9,"publicationDate":"2025-11-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145498214","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-12DOI: 10.1038/s41565-025-02035-7
Diana M. Bowman
The lively debate on nanotechnology that started 20 years ago spurred a collaborative effort between the private and public sectors that developed as the field was growing, leading to the creation of a regulatory framework that underpins today’s successful implementation of nanotechnology. Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence should take notice.
{"title":"The governance evolution of nanotechnology from controversy to consensus","authors":"Diana M. Bowman","doi":"10.1038/s41565-025-02035-7","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41565-025-02035-7","url":null,"abstract":"The lively debate on nanotechnology that started 20 years ago spurred a collaborative effort between the private and public sectors that developed as the field was growing, leading to the creation of a regulatory framework that underpins today’s successful implementation of nanotechnology. Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence should take notice.","PeriodicalId":18915,"journal":{"name":"Nature nanotechnology","volume":"20 11","pages":"1540-1541"},"PeriodicalIF":34.9,"publicationDate":"2025-11-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145492535","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-11DOI: 10.1038/s41565-025-02052-6
Simon Finn Mayer, Marianna Fanouria Mitsioni, Paul Robin, Lukas van den Heuvel, Nathan Ronceray, Maria Jose Marcaida, Luciano A. Abriata, Lucien F. Krapp, Jana S. Anton, Sarah Soussou, Justin Jeanneret-Grosjean, Alessandro Fulciniti, Alexia Möller, Sarah Vacle, Lely Feletti, Henry Brinkerhoff, Andrew H. Laszlo, Jens H. Gundlach, Theo Emmerich, Matteo Dal Peraro, Aleksandra Radenovic
β-Barrel nanopores are involved in crucial biological processes, from ATP export in mitochondria to bacterial resistance, and represent a promising platform for emerging sequencing technologies. However, in contrast to ion channels, the understanding of the fundamental principles governing ion transport through these nanopores remains largely unexplored. Here we integrate experimental, numerical and theoretical approaches to elucidate ion transport mechanisms in β-barrel nanopores. We identify and characterize two distinct nonlinear phenomena: open-pore rectification and gating. Through extensive mutation analysis of aerolysin nanopores, we demonstrate that open-pore rectification is caused by ionic accumulation driven by the distribution of lumen charges. In addition, we provide converging evidence suggesting that gating is controlled by electric fields dissociating counterions from lumen charges, promoting local structural deformations. Our findings establish a rigorous framework for characterizing and understanding ion transport processes in protein-based nanopores, enabling the design of adaptable nanofluidic biotechnologies. We illustrate this by optimizing an aerolysin mutant for computing applications. By unifying data from engineered β-barrel nanopores and supported by modelling, it is demonstrated that the lumen charge in a β-barrel nanopore governs rectification and voltage-driven gating, with applications in computing using nanofluidic synapses.
{"title":"Lumen charge governs gated ion transport in β-barrel nanopores","authors":"Simon Finn Mayer, Marianna Fanouria Mitsioni, Paul Robin, Lukas van den Heuvel, Nathan Ronceray, Maria Jose Marcaida, Luciano A. Abriata, Lucien F. Krapp, Jana S. Anton, Sarah Soussou, Justin Jeanneret-Grosjean, Alessandro Fulciniti, Alexia Möller, Sarah Vacle, Lely Feletti, Henry Brinkerhoff, Andrew H. Laszlo, Jens H. Gundlach, Theo Emmerich, Matteo Dal Peraro, Aleksandra Radenovic","doi":"10.1038/s41565-025-02052-6","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41565-025-02052-6","url":null,"abstract":"β-Barrel nanopores are involved in crucial biological processes, from ATP export in mitochondria to bacterial resistance, and represent a promising platform for emerging sequencing technologies. However, in contrast to ion channels, the understanding of the fundamental principles governing ion transport through these nanopores remains largely unexplored. Here we integrate experimental, numerical and theoretical approaches to elucidate ion transport mechanisms in β-barrel nanopores. We identify and characterize two distinct nonlinear phenomena: open-pore rectification and gating. Through extensive mutation analysis of aerolysin nanopores, we demonstrate that open-pore rectification is caused by ionic accumulation driven by the distribution of lumen charges. In addition, we provide converging evidence suggesting that gating is controlled by electric fields dissociating counterions from lumen charges, promoting local structural deformations. Our findings establish a rigorous framework for characterizing and understanding ion transport processes in protein-based nanopores, enabling the design of adaptable nanofluidic biotechnologies. We illustrate this by optimizing an aerolysin mutant for computing applications. By unifying data from engineered β-barrel nanopores and supported by modelling, it is demonstrated that the lumen charge in a β-barrel nanopore governs rectification and voltage-driven gating, with applications in computing using nanofluidic synapses.","PeriodicalId":18915,"journal":{"name":"Nature nanotechnology","volume":"21 1","pages":"116-124"},"PeriodicalIF":34.9,"publicationDate":"2025-11-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.nature.comhttps://www.nature.com/articles/s41565-025-02052-6.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145485046","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Pub Date : 2025-11-07DOI: 10.1038/s41565-025-02044-6
Arnab Rudra, Akash Gupta, Kaelan Reed, Amy Deik, Jiyeon Min, Hasan Mansour A Mansour, Quang Trung Chinh Nguyen, Austin Danko, Yizong Hu, Allegra Berger, Michaela Prado, Amira Beck, Clary B. Clish, Jeffery B. Klauda, Robert Langer, Daniel G. Anderson
The next generation of mRNA vaccines must address several limitations, including enhancing vaccine potency and reducing toxicity. Here we develop a class of degradable, cyclic amino ionizable lipids via sequential combinatorial chemistry and rational design. Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) formulated with the top-performing ionizable lipid, AMG1541, elicited similar protective neutralization antibody titres against an H3 influenza antigen when compared with the FDA-approved ionizable lipid SM-102 at a 100-fold lower dose, with enhanced clearance in vivo. AMG1541 mRNA LNPs substantially reduced expression in the liver following intramuscular injection, mitigating the associated toxicity. We also observed improved mRNA delivery to antigen-presenting cells at the injection site and the draining lymph node, leading to stronger germinal centre reactions. Structure–activity relationship studies suggest that cyclic headgroups and β-amino alcohols facilitate interactions with the mRNA backbone and enhance endosomal escape. The formulations developed here significantly enhance the potency of mRNA vaccines, and our structural insights may guide the development of next-generation vaccine delivery systems. This work presents a degradable ionizable lipid, AMG1541, for mRNA vaccines that significantly enhances potency and enables similar protective immunity at doses 100-fold lower than current standards, while also reducing toxicity and improving clearance in vivo.
{"title":"Degradable cyclic amino alcohol ionizable lipids as vectors for potent influenza mRNA vaccines","authors":"Arnab Rudra, Akash Gupta, Kaelan Reed, Amy Deik, Jiyeon Min, Hasan Mansour A Mansour, Quang Trung Chinh Nguyen, Austin Danko, Yizong Hu, Allegra Berger, Michaela Prado, Amira Beck, Clary B. Clish, Jeffery B. Klauda, Robert Langer, Daniel G. Anderson","doi":"10.1038/s41565-025-02044-6","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41565-025-02044-6","url":null,"abstract":"The next generation of mRNA vaccines must address several limitations, including enhancing vaccine potency and reducing toxicity. Here we develop a class of degradable, cyclic amino ionizable lipids via sequential combinatorial chemistry and rational design. Lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) formulated with the top-performing ionizable lipid, AMG1541, elicited similar protective neutralization antibody titres against an H3 influenza antigen when compared with the FDA-approved ionizable lipid SM-102 at a 100-fold lower dose, with enhanced clearance in vivo. AMG1541 mRNA LNPs substantially reduced expression in the liver following intramuscular injection, mitigating the associated toxicity. We also observed improved mRNA delivery to antigen-presenting cells at the injection site and the draining lymph node, leading to stronger germinal centre reactions. Structure–activity relationship studies suggest that cyclic headgroups and β-amino alcohols facilitate interactions with the mRNA backbone and enhance endosomal escape. The formulations developed here significantly enhance the potency of mRNA vaccines, and our structural insights may guide the development of next-generation vaccine delivery systems. This work presents a degradable ionizable lipid, AMG1541, for mRNA vaccines that significantly enhances potency and enables similar protective immunity at doses 100-fold lower than current standards, while also reducing toxicity and improving clearance in vivo.","PeriodicalId":18915,"journal":{"name":"Nature nanotechnology","volume":"20 12","pages":"1831-1842"},"PeriodicalIF":34.9,"publicationDate":"2025-11-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145455532","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
On-chip integration of independent channels of indistinguishable single photons is a prerequisite for scalable optical quantum information processing. This requires separate solid-state single-photon emitters to exhibit identical lifetime-limited transitions. This challenging task is usually further exacerbated by spectral diffusion due to complex charge noise near material surfaces made by nanofabrication processes. Here we develop a molecular quantum photonic chip and demonstrate on-chip Hong–Ou–Mandel quantum interference of indistinguishable single photons from independent molecules. The molecules are embedded in a single-crystalline organic nanosheet and integrated with single-mode waveguides without nanofabrication, thereby ensuring stable, lifetime-limited transitions. With the aid of Stark tuning, we show how 100 waveguide-coupled molecules can be tuned to the same frequency and achieve on-chip Hong–Ou–Mandel interference visibilities exceeding 0.97 for 2 molecules separately coupled to 2 waveguides. For two molecules with a controlled frequency difference, we unveil over 100-µs-long quantum beating in the interference, showing both excellent single-photon purity (particle nature) and long coherence (wave nature) of the emission. Our results showcase a possible strategy towards constructing scalable optical universal quantum processors and a promising platform for studying waveguide quantum electrodynamics with identical single emitters wired via photonic circuits. Hong–Ou–Mandel experiments on a quantum photonic chip demonstrate on-chip quantum interference of indistinguishable single photons with visibilities exceeding 0.97 for two molecules separately coupled to two waveguides.
片上集成不可区分的单光子独立通道是可扩展光量子信息处理的先决条件。这需要独立的固态单光子发射器表现出相同的有限寿命跃迁。由于纳米制造过程中材料表面附近复杂电荷噪声的光谱扩散，这一具有挑战性的任务通常会进一步加剧。本文开发了一种分子量子光子芯片，并在芯片上演示了独立分子中不可区分的单光子的Hong-Ou-Mandel量子干涉。这些分子被嵌入到单晶有机纳米片中，并与单模波导集成在一起，而无需纳米加工，从而确保稳定的、有寿命限制的过渡。在Stark调谐的帮助下，我们展示了如何将100个波导耦合分子调谐到相同的频率，并实现两个分子分别耦合到两个波导的片上hong - u - mandel干涉可见度超过0.97。对于频率差可控的两个分子，我们在干涉中揭示了超过100µs长的量子跳动，显示出优异的单光子纯度（粒子性质）和发射的长相干性（波性质）。我们的研究结果展示了构建可扩展的光学通用量子处理器的可能策略，以及通过光子电路连接的相同单发射器研究波导量子电动力学的有前途的平台。在量子光子芯片上的Hong-Ou-Mandel实验证明了两个分子分别耦合到两个波导上的不可区分单光子的片上量子干涉，其可见度超过0.97。
{"title":"On-chip quantum interference of indistinguishable single photons from integrated independent molecules","authors":"Tailin Huang, Miaomiao Xu, Wei Jin, Weixi Liu, Yixuan Chi, Jianwei Tang, Penglong Ren, Shangming Wei, Zhengxuan Bai, Yaocheng Shi, Xue-Wen Chen","doi":"10.1038/s41565-025-02043-7","DOIUrl":"10.1038/s41565-025-02043-7","url":null,"abstract":"On-chip integration of independent channels of indistinguishable single photons is a prerequisite for scalable optical quantum information processing. This requires separate solid-state single-photon emitters to exhibit identical lifetime-limited transitions. This challenging task is usually further exacerbated by spectral diffusion due to complex charge noise near material surfaces made by nanofabrication processes. Here we develop a molecular quantum photonic chip and demonstrate on-chip Hong–Ou–Mandel quantum interference of indistinguishable single photons from independent molecules. The molecules are embedded in a single-crystalline organic nanosheet and integrated with single-mode waveguides without nanofabrication, thereby ensuring stable, lifetime-limited transitions. With the aid of Stark tuning, we show how 100 waveguide-coupled molecules can be tuned to the same frequency and achieve on-chip Hong–Ou–Mandel interference visibilities exceeding 0.97 for 2 molecules separately coupled to 2 waveguides. For two molecules with a controlled frequency difference, we unveil over 100-µs-long quantum beating in the interference, showing both excellent single-photon purity (particle nature) and long coherence (wave nature) of the emission. Our results showcase a possible strategy towards constructing scalable optical universal quantum processors and a promising platform for studying waveguide quantum electrodynamics with identical single emitters wired via photonic circuits. Hong–Ou–Mandel experiments on a quantum photonic chip demonstrate on-chip quantum interference of indistinguishable single photons with visibilities exceeding 0.97 for two molecules separately coupled to two waveguides.","PeriodicalId":18915,"journal":{"name":"Nature nanotechnology","volume":"20 12","pages":"1748-1756"},"PeriodicalIF":34.9,"publicationDate":"2025-11-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145441010","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"材料科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
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