A functionally complete logic gate in a soft photoresponsive hydrogel.

ABSTRACT: 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 ou

SUBMITTER: Mahmood F 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12618592 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature