A pixel-controlled programmable metasurface capable of dynamically reshaping terahertz (THz) waves could open new possibilities for compact imaging, communications and optical systems. The device functions as a phase-type spatial terahertz modulator, combining independent pixel-level encoding with the ability to switch between multiple optical functions on a single platform.

In the International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing, researchers have solved a rigid manufacturing compromise between geometric complexity and magnetic performance by laser 3D-printing, successfully weaving metal powders into intricate and highly responsive magnetic devices.

In a major step forward in wearable technology, researchers have used machine learning to reveal how stretching flexible materials impacts their electrical performance. The study shows that pulling a material in one direction can boost conductivity by over 50%, while pulling it in another can hinder it, providing a crucial design guide for future electronic skin and sensors.

In the International Journal of Extreme Manufacturing, researchers paired an ultrafast picosecond laser with a recurrent neural network that acts as an automated optical sculptor to address an enduring dilemma: devices sensitive enough to register a faint arterial pulse usually max out under moderate contact, while sensors built for heavy loads fail to detect gentle touch.

Recognized for pioneering work on adhesive and electroconductive hydrogels for biological tissue regeneration

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) responds poorly to immune checkpoint blockade, largely because of an immunologically cold tumor microenvironment (TME) characterized by deficient antigen presentation and impaired cytotoxic T cell responses. Analysis of numerous HCC clinical cohorts, including our institutional datasets, reveals that stimulator of interferon genes (STING) pathway activity is positively correlated with patient survival, enhanced antigen presentation capacity, and an immune-activated TME. However, achieving effective and controllable STING activation in immune-cold HCC tumors remains challenging. Here, we develop a biomimetic nanomedicine that integrates photothermal therapy (PTT), STING pathway activation, and immune checkpoint blockade to treat refractory HCC. A coordination nanomedicine MCI-NP is engineered by co-encapsulating the STING agonist MSA-2 and indocyanine green (ICG) via Cu²⁺-mediated chelation, enabling stabilized PTT-induced immunogenic cell death together with robust STING-driven innate immune activation. Further cloaked with PD-1-overexpressing cell membranes, MCI-NP@mPD-1 achieves an approximately fivefold increase in tumor accumulation compared with uncoated MCI-NP and enables localized PD-1/PD-L1 axis blockade. Following a single treatment, MCI-NP@mPD-1-based photothermal immunotherapy effectively suppresses primary tumor growth and significantly prolongs survival by remodeling the TME toward an immune-active state, while inducing durable systemic immune memory that effectively limited postoperative lung metastasis. Without introducing additional nanocarriers or excipients, MCI-NP@mPD-1 offers a promising therapeutic paradigm for photothermal immunotherapy of immune-cold HCC.