Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41156405›Full record

ReviewMicromachines2025

Recent Progress in Liquid Microlenses and Their Arrays for Adaptive and Applied Optical Systems.

Siyu Lu, Zheyuan Cao, Jinzhong Ling, Ying Yuan, Xin Liu, Xiaorui Wang, Jin-Kun Guo

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Micromachines, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Siyu LuSchool of Optoelectronic Engineering, Xidian University, Xi'an 710071, China.
Zheyuan CaoSchool of Optoelectronic Engineering, Xidian University, Xi'an 710071, China.
Jinzhong LingSchool of Optoelectronic Engineering, Xidian University, Xi'an 710071, China.ORCID 0000-0001-9785-4587
Ying YuanSchool of Optoelectronic Engineering, Xidian University, Xi'an 710071, China.
Xin LiuSchool of Optoelectronic Engineering, Xidian University, Xi'an 710071, China.
Xiaorui WangSchool of Optoelectronic Engineering, Xidian University, Xi'an 710071, China.
Jin-Kun GuoSchool of Optoelectronic Engineering, Xidian University, Xi'an 710071, China.ORCID 0000-0002-5489-1123

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China NSFC 62005206 and 62005204
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Liquid microlenses and their arrays (LMLAs) have emerged as a transformative platform in adaptive optics, offering superior reconfigurability, compactness, and fast response compared to conventional solid-state lenses. This review summarizes recent progress from an application-oriented perspective, focusing on actuation mechanisms, fabrication strategies, and functional performance. Among actuation mechanisms, electric-field-driven approaches are highlighted, including electrowetting for shape tuning and liquid crystal-based refractive-index tuning techniques. The former excels in tuning range and response speed, whereas the latter enables programmable wavefront control with lower optical aberrations but limited efficiency. Notably, double-emulsion configurations, with fast interfacial actuation and inherent structural stability, demonstrate great potential for highly integrated optical components. Fabrication methodologies-including semiconductor-derived processes, additive manufacturing, and dynamic molding-are evaluated, revealing trade-offs among scalability, structural complexity, and cost. Functionally, advances in focal length tuning, field-of-view expansion, depth-of-field extension, and aberration correction have been achieved, though strong coupling among these parameters still constrains system-level performance. Looking forward, innovations in functional materials, hybrid fabrication, and computational imaging are expected to mitigate these constraints. These developments will accelerate applications in microscopy, endoscopy, AR/VR displays, industrial inspection, and machine vision, while paving the way for intelligent photonic systems that integrate adaptive optics with machine learning for real-time control.

Indexed as

adaptive opticsdisplaysdropletsimagingsliquid lensliquid microlens arraystunable optics

Identifiers

PMID41156405
PMCPMC12566047

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.