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Mechanoluminescent (ML) materials are attractive for haptic interface sensors for next-generation technologies, including bite-controlled user interface, health care 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 findings are published in the journal .

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鈥攁 key distinguishing advantage of the approach. This novel dual functionality of the 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鈥攚here 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 health care鈥攕uch 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鈥攕uch as life jackets and thermal blankets鈥攃an transmit rescue signals in disaster environments where power supply is limited or unavailable," concludes Prof. Choi on an optimistic note.