POSTECH Research Team Led by Professors Wook-Sung Kim and Won-Bin Hong Publishes Cover Article on Liquid Crystal-Based Antenna Technology in Advanced Materials

A collaborative research team from POSTECH, led by Professors Wook-Sung Kim and Won-Bin Hong, and composed of researchers including Jun-Seok Ma (first author, PhD candidate), Jin-Young Choi, Sun-Geun Park, Im-Bo Kong, Dae-Hyun Kim, Chung-Ah Lee, Young-No Yoon, and Myung-Jin Hwang, has published a comprehensive review on liquid crystal (LC)-based antenna design trends and future directions in the prestigious journal Advanced Materials. The paper has been selected as a Frontispiece cover article, highlighting its significance.

Research Focus and Findings

The study provides a thorough review of the current trends in LC-based antenna designs, emphasizing their performance improvements and potential new functionalities from the perspective of liquid crystal engineering.

As operating frequencies increase, the frequency dependence of all RLGC component characteristics becomes more significant. At frequencies above tens of GHz, tunable L and C components are extremely rare, constrained by limitations such as semiconductor process capabilities, self-resonance frequency (SRF), and low-Q factors. In contrast, liquid crystals exhibit low-loss characteristics at high frequencies, reconfigurability, and cost competitiveness, making them an attractive material for next-generation communication systems.

To date, LC-based antenna designs have primarily focused on optimizing device structures and electrical characteristics. Various RF components, such as LC-based phased array antennas, holographic antennas, and reconfigurable intelligent surfaces (RIS), have been proposed. Recent studies have also addressed improvements in response speed, tunability, and loss tangent for LC-based antennas.

The research team highlights the need for optimization not only in antenna design but also in liquid crystal material properties and engineering techniques to overcome existing limitations and achieve further advancements.

Significance and Future Impact

This study is the first to review LC-based antenna design trends from the perspective of liquid crystal properties and propose a comprehensive future research direction. The findings are expected to have a significant impact on related fields, driving innovation in LC-based antenna technology and materials science.

The research was supported by the Samsung Science and Technology Foundation, further emphasizing its importance in advancing next-generation communication systems.

This achievement underscores POSTECH’s leadership in pioneering cutting-edge materials and device engineering for future wireless communication technologies.