Exploring Emerging Photophysical Phenomena

The 79th International Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy (ISMS) will take place June 22–26 at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, bringing together researchers from across the molecular spectroscopy community to discuss the latest advances in fields ranging from astronomy to atmospheric science.¹ Known for its collaborative and welcoming environment, ISMS provides a valuable platform for networking, particularly for early-career scientists seeking to connect with established experts and build professional relationships.¹

As part of a preview of the ISMS conference, Minjung Son, assistant professor of chemistry at Boston University, sat down with Spectroscopy to share insights into her research and the opportunities available to attendees. Son leads a research group focused on understanding the fundamental photophysical processes that govern the movement of energy and charge in molecular, material, and biological systems. To investigate these mechanisms, her team employs ultrafast optical spectroscopy and microscopy techniques, enabling them to observe dynamic processes that influence the function of a wide range of systems.²

Beyond investigating these fundamental interactions, Son’s group develops advanced nanomaterials and hybrid photonic materials called polaritons.² These systems help the team probe emerging photophysical phenomena and understand how structure shapes function. Their research has important implications for energy conversion technologies and the development of next-generation materials.²

Spectroscopy: For those in the audience who might be unfamiliar with nanomaterials and their properties, can you describe some of the biggest unanswered questions your group is currently trying to solve about nanoscale energy or charge transfer?

Minjung Son: A lot of what we do really comes down to understanding how energy and charge move around at the nanoscale. We know that these processes are incredibly important for things like solar cells and light harvesting systems. However, we still don't fully understand what controls them in complex materials, whether they are found in nature or in synthetic materials. What we're trying to do is to figure out how the local environment structure and interactions between different components of the materials influence where the energy goes and how efficiently it goes there. Once we understand those rules, we can start designing materials that perform much better.

Spectroscopy: What advantages do ultrafast spectroscopy and microscopy provide when investigating nanomaterials?

Minjung Son: One of the biggest advantages of ultrafast spectroscopy and microscopy is that they let us watch what the materials are doing on their natural timescales. In nanomaterials, a lot of the important processes like charge transfer, energy transfer, exciton formation, and carrier relaxation happen in femto to picoseconds, which are very fast timescales. As a result, conventional techniques often miss these details because they don't have resolution. Ultrafast spectroscopy allows us to track these dynamics in real time, while ultrafast microscopy combines or adds spatial resolution so that we can also see how these processes vary across different regions of the material. Therefore, both ultrafast spectroscopy and ultrafast microscopy each serve different purposes, but collectively I would say that they help connect the nanomaterial structure with its function, which is really important for designing better solar cells, light-emitting diodes (LEDs), photocatalysts, and other technologies.

Spectroscopy: Sample preparation also comes into play when studying nanomaterials. How important is precise sample preparation in achieving reliable and reproducible photophysical measurements?

Minjung Son: Sample preparation is absolutely critical. I would say small differences in materials, such as size, morphology, concentration, or even how the sample is deposited, can have a huge impact on the measurements you obtain. If the sample isn't well controlled, it can be difficult to tell whether you're seeing real photophysics that are important or just variations from one sample to another. As a result, my group spends a lot of time making sure that our samples are carefully prepared and also characterized really carefully before we do any custom measurements. That upfront effort is really, really important for obtaining reliable and reproducible results.

Spectroscopy: Looking ahead, how could improved control of nanomaterial interfaces transform next-generation technologies and devices?

Minjung Son: I think having better control over nanomaterials will allow us to design materials with properties that are tailored for specific applications rather than just discovering them by trial and error. For example, if you can understand exactly how energy and charge move through the systems and what factors and parameters influence these processes, we can start building more efficient solar cells, better light emitting devices, and new quantum technologies. Even more generally, I think it gives us a way to connect fundamental science with real-world applications and accelerate the development of next-generation materials.

References

1. ISMS, 79th International Symposium on Molecular Spectroscopy. Illinois.edu. Available at: https://isms.illinois.edu/ (Accessed June 8th, 2026).
2. Boston University, Minjung Son. BU.edu. Available at: https://www.bu.edu/chemistry/profile/minjung-son/ (Accessed June 8th, 2026).