Reversible optical data storage and encryption enabled by phase-change and hydrogel integration

Asad Nauman; Guli Gulinihali; Tristen Moncada; Muhammad Waleed Khalid; Tristan Tjussardi; Yeshaiahu Fainman; Abdoulaye Ndao

doi:10.1038/s41377-026-02330-5

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Reversible optical data storage and encryption enabled by phase-change and hydrogel integration

Original Articles

- Reversible optical data storage and encryption enabled by phase-change and hydrogel integration
- Light: Science & Applications Vol. 15, Issue 8, Pages: 2684-2693(2026)
- Affiliations：
  
  Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
- Author bio：
  
  Abdoulaye Ndao (a1ndao@ucsd.edu)
- Funds：
- DOI：10.1038/s41377-026-02330-5
  CLC：
- Received：21 October 2025，
  
  Revised：2026-03-31，
  
  Accepted：22 April 2026，
  
  Online First：18 May 2026，
  
  Published：31 August 2026
- Accepted：
Scan QR Code
Nauman, A. et al. Reversible optical data storage and encryption enabled by phase-change and hydrogel integration. Light: Science & Applications, 15, 2684-2693 (2026).
DOI：

Nauman, A. et al. Reversible optical data storage and encryption enabled by phase-change and hydrogel integration. Light: Science & Applications, 15, 2684-2693 (2026). DOI： 10.1038/s41377-026-02330-5.

摘要

Abstract

Phase-change materials and hydrogels

which are emerging as versatile

low-cost

high-speed materials with large-area processing capabilities

are key building blocks for next-generation optical information storage and multi-level encryption. Here

we introduce a hybrid platform that synergistically integrates directly laser-written antimony trisulfide (Sb

) with a humidity-responsive azido-grafted carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC-N

) hydrogel

enabling the fabrication of a full-color image multiplexing. The Sb

medium layer enables non-volatile

rewritable optical data via laser-induced amorphous–crystalline transitions

while the hydrogel introduces UV-programmable cavity modulation for data writing and consequently

achieving a humid

ity-dependent tunable full-color image response. Together

these dynamic and reversible processes enable independent encoding and retrieval of multi-level information

resulting in a transmissive multiplexed optical storage device. This multi-programmable layer approach establishes a new paradigm for multifunctional optical devices

unlocking opportunities in secure data storage

anti-counterfeiting displays

and environmental sensing.

关键词

Keywords

references

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