As data theft and counterfeiting grow ever more sophisticated, cryptography demands devices that are miniature, reconfigurable and almost impossible to reverse-engineer. Now researchers from the Shenyang Institute of Automation (CAS), Shanghai University and City University of Hong Kong—led by Prof. Haibo Yu and Prof. Wen Jung Li—have created a micro-dynamic multiple encryption device (μ-DMED) built from coumarin-based metamaterials that can hide, rewrite and store multilevel information under different light fields. The work establishes a new paradigm for on-chip, high-security optical encryption.
Why μ-DMED Matters
Innovative Design & Features
Applications & Future Outlook
This compact, energy-positive platform merges 4-D printing, optical-to-chemical energy conversion and advanced metamaterials to deliver unclonable, rewritable micro-encryption. Expect next-generation passports, smart packaging and quantum-safe chips to benefit from Prof. Yu and Prof. Li’s programmable photonic “invisible ink.”
Nano-Micro Letters
Experimental study
Tunable Optical Metamaterial Enables Steganography, Rewriting, and Multilevel Information Storage
5-Sep-2025