Computing with heat; observing TMDC crystal growth; fiber chip.
Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) designed silicon structures that can perform calculations in an electronic device using excess heat instead of electricity.
The device was created using a software system that automatically designs a material that can conduct heat in a specific manner. The inverse design technique allowed the researchers to define the desired functionality, and the software arranged a set of rectangular silicon structures filled with tiny pores such that heat diffusing through it performs matrix multiplication, with the geometry of the structure encoding the coefficients.
Input data is encoded as a set of temperatures using the waste heat already present in a device, and the output is represented by the power collected at the other end, which is a thermostat at a fixed temperature.
While the team was able to create structures that performed matrix vector multiplication in simple structures with more than 99% accuracy, they caution that challenges remain for large-scale applications that would require tiling millions of structures. In follow-up research, the team plans to design structures that can perform sequential operations, where the output of one structure becomes an input for the next. [1]
Researchers from Okayama University, Shinshu University, and Keio University observed in real time how monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDCs), a 2D semiconductor, form inside a confined microreactor.
The team designed an infrared-heated chemical vapor deposition system that enabled them to visualize molten precursor droplets during growth and to identify distinct growth regimes that determine crystal size and quality, depending on precursor concentration and sulfur supply.
“This research shows that direct observation is the key to true materials control,” said Hiroo Suzuki, a research associate professor in the Department of Electrical and Communication Engineering at Okayama University, in a statement. “By understanding how two-dimensional semiconductors grow, we can design the next generation of electronic devices from the atomic level upward.” [2]
Researchers from Fudan University designed a fiber integrated circuit (FIC) with a multilayered spiral architecture. The approach enables the 50-micron-thick fiber to contain 10,000 transistors in a 1mm length, which the team says can provide processing power similar to a pacemaker chip.
In tests, the fiber chip withstood repeated bending and abrasion, stretching to 30%, twisting, and crushing forces. The researchers see potential for use in smart clothing and in brain-computer interfaces for the treatment of neurological diseases. [3]
[1] C. Silva and G. Romano. Thermal analog computing: Application to matrix-vector multiplication with inverse-designed metastructures. Phys. Rev. Applied 25, 014073 https://doi.org/10.1103/5drp-hrx1
[2] H. Suzuki, Y. Senda, K. Hisama, et al. Inside the Microreactor: In Situ Real-Time Observation of Vapor–Liquid–Solid Growth of Monolayer TMDCs. Adv. Sci. (2025): e16784. https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202516784
[3] Z. Wang, K. Chen, X. Shi, et al. Fibre integrated circuits by a multilayered spiral architecture. Nature 650, 102–109 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09974-0
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