Cover story: Zhu ZB, Li YF, Wang JF et al. Reconfigurable origami chiral response for holographic imaging and information encryption. OptoElectron Sci 4, 240026 (2025).

The electromagnetic holography function is of great significance in the field of information security, and with the development of holographic technology, the electromagnetic (EM) multifunctionality of metasurfaces has demonstrated tremendous potential in holographic communications. Metasurfaces consist of artificially designed subwavelength units that can precisely control properties of electromagnetic waves such as amplitude, phase, and polarization, thereby achieving unusual electromagnetic effects that many conventional materials cannot realize.

This paper combines metasurface design with the art of origami, using origami principles to achieve reconfigurability of the metasurface’s electromagnetic properties through simple mechanical operations. The authors integrate the Rosenfeld principle along with L- and D-metallic chiral enantiomers onto a Miura origami surface. By leveraging the continuously adjustable folding states of Miura origami, the chiral response of the metallic structures varies with different folding configurations, thus realizing various electromagnetic holographic imaging functions.

In the unfolded state, the origami metasurface can achieve holographic encryption; whereas under specific folding conditions and when driven by spin circularly polarized waves at a particular frequency, multiple holographic images exhibiting circular dichroism can be effectively reconstructed at a designated focal plane. This origami approach breaks through the limitations of traditional metasurface design, offering a novel and effective solution for spin-selective systems, camouflage, and information encryption. As a camouflage device for information encryption, it holds promising applications in fields such as information security and target jamming.