Professor Kwangwoon Jeong's research team (Department of Polymer -Nano Science &Technology, College of Engineering; Department of Nano Convergence Engineering, Graduate School) has proposed a method to control light-emitting properties by regulating the self-assembly process and ordering of molecules. This achievement is expected to be applied to the development of optical encryption materials that selectively display and read information.

The study was published in the international journal Small, which covers research in nanoscience, materials science and advanced functional materials, and was selected as the cover paper for the September 2026 issue in recognition of its academic merits.

The research team designed and synthesized a pyrene-based liquid crystal molecule (Py-LCM) and analyzed the effect of the nanostructures and molecular ordering on its emission properties. They found that the way molecules aggregate and order depends on the polarity and concentration of the solution, leading to distinct emission characteristics.

In the solid state, they analyzed the self-assembly processes and structural changes of the molecules. This showed that controlling the pathways of molecular self-assembly can govern the formation of different nanostructures.

In particular, the team achieved alignment of molecules in specific orientations to realize emission signals that vary with the polarization direction. This demonstrates the potential to use such materials for optical encryption that selectively reveals or reads information depending on the observation conditions.

The significance of this research lies in elucidating how molecular-level self-assembly and ordering form nanostructures that in turn determine the macroscopic emission properties of the material. It also suggests ways to exploit the distinct emission behaviors observed in solution and solid states in the design of functional materials.

Dr. Minwoo Lim, who carried out this research, obtained his Ph.D. from Jeonbuk National University (JBNU) in 2026, then worked at the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), and is currently conducting postdoctoral research at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States. He has contributed to a total of 28 SCI-indexed papers to date, including 11 as first author, actively conducting research in the field of polymers and functional materials.

Meanwhile, this research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea's Korea‑Taiwan Joint Research Program and the NATO Science for Peace and Security program.