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<p>Materials that compute—or process stimuli to generate a result output—are important in applications ranging from soft robotics to therapeutics. Here, we report a NAND gate based on the interactions of three self-trapped beams in a photoresponsive hydrogel. The beams self-trap by triggering localised contraction and corresponding refractive index changes (Δ<i>n</i>) and communicate with each other through the interconnected hydrogel network. Light-induced Δ<i>n</i> in one region suppresses contraction (and Δ<i>n</i>) elsewhere. This inhibits self-trapping and reduces the power of the central beam—which competes with two equidistant neighbours—compared to either peripheral beam, which competes with just one neighbour. The NAND gate exploits this geometry-dependent inhibition: the central beam’s peak power—<i>the output</i>—exceeds a threshold value unless both neighbours—<i>inputs</i>—are on, <i>i.e</i>., an output = 0 is retrieved only with input [1, 1]. We then demonstrate two and, separately, twelve sequentially chained NAND operations, and propose a route to multiple, simultaneously linked operations in a single, internally mediated step. Here, the output from one operation is spontaneously directed to subsequent operations. Our findings open pathways to soft materials with autonomous computational functionality.</p>

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A functionally complete logic gate in a soft photoresponsive hydrogel

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

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  • 发表日期：

    2025年11月14日

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  • Fariha Mahmood,
  • Victor V. Yashin,
  • Anna C. Balazs,
  • Kalaichelvi Saravanamuttu

摘要

Materials that compute—or process stimuli to generate a result output—are important in applications ranging from soft robotics to therapeutics. Here, we report a NAND gate based on the interactions of three self-trapped beams in a photoresponsive hydrogel. The beams self-trap by triggering localised contraction and corresponding refractive index changes (Δn) and communicate with each other through the interconnected hydrogel network. Light-induced Δn in one region suppresses contraction (and Δn) elsewhere. This inhibits self-trapping and reduces the power of the central beam—which competes with two equidistant neighbours—compared to either peripheral beam, which competes with just one neighbour. The NAND gate exploits this geometry-dependent inhibition: the central beam’s peak power—the output—exceeds a threshold value unless both neighbours—inputs—are on, i.e., an output = 0 is retrieved only with input [1, 1]. We then demonstrate two and, separately, twelve sequentially chained NAND operations, and propose a route to multiple, simultaneously linked operations in a single, internally mediated step. Here, the output from one operation is spontaneously directed to subsequent operations. Our findings open pathways to soft materials with autonomous computational functionality.