Hanyang University researchers develop of novel high-resolution mechanoluminescent platform technology

Mechanoluminescent (ML) materials are attractive for haptic interface sensors for next-generation technologies, including bite-controlled user interface, healthcare motion monitoring, and piconewton sensing, because they emit light under mechanical stimulation without an external power source. However, their intrinsically broad emission spectra can degrade resolution and introduce noise in sensing applications, necessitating further technological development.

Addressing this knowledge gap, a team of researchers from the Republic of Korea and the UK, led by Hyosung Choi, a Professor at the Department of Chemistry at Hanyang University, and including Nam Woo Kim, a master’s student at Hanyang University, recently employed a chromatic filtration strategy to pave the way to high-resolution ML haptic sensors. Their innovative findings were made available online on 14 August 2025 and have been published in the journal Advanced Materials.

In this study, the team coated the conjugated polymer poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene-alt-benzothiadiazole) (F8BT) onto ZnS:Cu to selectively suppress emission below 490 nm, narrowing the full width at half maximum from 94 nm to 55 nm.

Color filtration typically reduces emission intensity. Interestingly, in the proposed system, the ML-induced photoluminescence of F8BT compensates for this loss—a key distinguishing advantage of the approach. This novel dual functionality of F8BT shell significantly reduces spectral noise in the blue region with high intensity, improving the resolution in actual powerless haptic controllers.

The researchers demonstrate the proof-of-concept of their exciting tool by implementing a press-sensitive color tracking system using ZnS:Cu@F8BT. The system correctly distinguished between blue and green ML signals, showcasing the high spectral resolution facilitated by the chromatic filtration strategy.

This technology greatly enhances the commercialization potential of applications such as wearable sensors for quantifying crew activity in space environments and mouthpiece-type ML controllers that enable wheelchair operation via chewing gestures—where a left chew implies “turn left,” a center chew means “move forward,” and a right chew indicates “turn right.”

Prof. Choi noted, “As the aging society accelerates, there will be an increasing demand for eco-friendly, power-free stress sensing technologies that are directly linked to elderly healthcare—such as motion-monitoring solutions and assistive robotics. Our system is expected to serve as a next-generation alternative to various stress-to-light sensing technologies used in robotics and biomedical engineering.”

In the long term, this technology will refine energy-harvesting sensors and interfaces that convert mechanical energy into light, serving as an eco-friendly solution that reduces battery dependence and e-waste. Enabled by high color purity and reliable optical decoding, it can operate for extended periods without external power and can be activated and read using only cameras or photodiodes, making it suitable for power-constrained environments such as disaster sites, remote infrastructure, deep sea, and space. Within the next five to ten years, this innovation is expected to realize battery-free high resolution sensor networks across display, wearables, and industrial safety.

“Overall, our technology invites us to imagine a future mechanoluminescent world. ML textiles and footwear that integrate ML materials can emit light in response to human motion, enabling wearer localization during night running while serving both safety and fashion purposes. Furthermore, ML-based survival and protective gear—such as life jackets and thermal blankets—can transmit rescue signals in disaster environments where power supply is limited or unavailable,” concludes Prof. Choi on an optimistic note.

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Reference
DOI: 10.1002/adma.202508917

About Hanyang University
Hanyang University traces its roots back to 1939 when the Dong-A Engineering Institute was established. By 1948, the institute had transformed into the nation’s first private university, evolving into Hanyang University in 1959. At its core, Hanyang University upholds the Founding Philosophy of “Love in Deed and Truth,” and its mission is to provide practical education and professional training to future experts and leaders. With a rich history spanning nearly a century, Hanyang University continues to uphold its core values while adapting to the evolving landscape of education and research, both domestically and internationally.
Website: https://www.hanyang.ac.kr/web/eng

About the author
Prof. Hyosung Choi is a Professor of Chemistry at Hanyang University and leads the Lab for Optoelectronic & Versatile Energy Devices. His group is advancing the commercialization of mechanoluminescence (ML) by enhancing ML intensity, improving color purity, realizing multicolor emission, and engineering platform architectures. Their work has been published in journals such as Nature Communications, Advanced Materials, and ACS Nano. Before joining Hanyang University, he completed postdoctoral training at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Nam Woo Kim, a participating researcher on this study, is a master’s student at Hanyang University developing compression-sensitive ML platforms.