Nonlinear Optics Studies on Nanosurfaces and Nanostructures

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue focuses on recent advances in nonlinear optics observed in nanosurfaces and nanostructures. With the growing demand for ultrafast, compact, high-stability, high-scalability, and energy-efficient photonic devices, the study of light–matter interactions at the nanoscale has become increasingly important. Advances in nanofabrication, material synthesis, and optical engineering have enabled unprecedented control over electromagnetic fields in subwavelength structures, offering new routes to enhance nonlinear phenomena and achieve integrated photonic functionalities.

Nanostructures—including metasurfaces, two-dimensional (2D) materials, dielectric and plasmonic nanostructures, and photonic crystals—exhibit unique physical properties due to their reduced dimensionality, surface-dominated interactions, and strong field confinement. These properties enable enhanced nonlinear optical processes such as harmonic generation, Kerr nonlinear effects, four-wave mixing, and multiphoton absorption, which are foundational for many modern photonic applications. In particular, engineered nanosurfaces offer ultrathin, tunable, and CMOS-compatible platforms for next-generation nonlinear optical devices.

We welcome original research articles, communications, and comprehensive reviews related to the design, fabrication, characterization, and theoretical modeling of nanoscale structures for nonlinear optics. Both experimental and theoretical contributions are encouraged, especially those that demonstrate novel mechanisms, strong light–matter coupling, or practical device implementations. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Nonlinear optical processes in 2D materials and van der Waals heterostructures;
• Plasmonic and dielectric metasurfaces for enhanced nonlinear interactions;
• Nonlinear photonic crystals, nanowaveguides, and subwavelength gratings;
• Hybrid and multifunctional nanophotonic devices integrating nonlinear media;
• Ultrafast and all-optical modulation at the nanoscale;
• Tuning and control of nonlinear responses via thermal, electrical, mechanical, or optical stimuli;
• Multiphoton and broadband nonlinear phenomena for spectroscopy and imaging;
• Applications in optical signal processing, telecommunications, sensing, biophotonics, and quantum photonics.

This Special Issue aims to serve as a platform for showcasing cutting-edge research at the intersection of nonlinear optics and nanophotonics. It seeks to bring together a broad community of researchers from materials science, physics, optics, and engineering to share novel insights, foster interdisciplinary collaboration, and accelerate the development of high-performance, scalable, and integrated nonlinear nanophotonic technologies.

Dr. Yuning Zhang
Dr. Jiayang Wu
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Nanomaterials is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• nanosurfaces
• nanostructures
• nonlinear optics