近日，美国麻省理工学院Boyden, Edward S.团队报道了图案化空位的各向同性收缩使三维纳米精细元结构适用于可见光应用。这一研究成果发表在2026年5月12日出版的《自然—光子学》杂志上。

与具有较大特征尺寸的结构相比，具有纳米尺度特征尺寸的三维亚结构展现出独特的性质，但其制造难度较大。

研究组介绍了一种名为“内爆雕刻”（ImpCarv）的方法，该方法通过在材料内部对复杂几何形状的空位进行光图案化，随后进行各向同性收缩（收缩率超过10倍）。ImpCarv的工作原理是：通过光激活敏化剂产生活性氧物种，在指定位置切割溶胀的水凝胶，然后通过脱水实现可控收缩。ImpCarv能够制造出三维亚结构，其中材料内每个点的折射率可通过材料的有或无，以纳米级精度进行指定。利用折射率的可编程性实现精确的相位控制，研究组展示了一种在可见光波长下运行、神经元尺寸为纳米级的全光学机器学习器件。因此，ImpCarv有望支持纳米光子学和纳米技术领域的多种应用。

附：英文原文

Title: Isotropic shrinkage of patterned vacancies enables three-dimensional nanoprecise metastructures for visible light applications

Author: Yang, Quansan, Yang, Gaojie, Nambara, Takahiro, Kusaka, Hiroyuki, Kunai, Yuichiro, Matlock, Alex C., Swain, Corban, Pryor, Brett, Salamin, Yannick, Oran, Daniel, Kariyawasam, Hasindu, Hettiarachchi, Ramith, Wadduwage, Dushan, Soljai, Marin, So, Peter T. C., Boyden, Edward S.

Issue&Volume: 2026-05-12

Abstract: Three-dimensional metastructures with nanoscale feature sizes exhibit unique properties compared with structures with larger feature sizes, but are difficult to fabricate. Here we introduce implosion carving (ImpCarv), a method for photopatterning vacancies of complex geometry throughout materials, followed by isotropic shrinkage (>10-fold). ImpCarv works by photoactivating sensitizers to generate reactive oxygen species that cleave a swollen hydrogel at defined points, followed by controlled shrinkage via dehydration. ImpCarv creates three-dimensional metastructures where the refractive index of each point throughout a material can be specified with nanoscale precision via material presence or absence. By leveraging refractive index programmability for precise phase control, we demonstrate an all-optical machine learning device with nanoscale neuron sizes operating at visible wavelengths. ImpCarv may thus support diverse applications in nanophotonics and nanotechnology.

DOI: 10.1038/s41566-026-01896-1

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41566-026-01896-1