For TVs and smartphones: the future is in OLED displays with purer blue light

A new way to simplify the structure of blue organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) may lead to television screens more durable and with greater definition.

OLEDs are a class of organic electronics that are already found commercially in smartphones and displays and may be more efficient than competing technologies.

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Although OLED television screens have sharp image quality, they also have disadvantages such as high cost and comparatively short lifespan.

In OLED displays, the screen pixels are made up of three subpixels of different colors (red, green and blue) that are illuminated with different intensities to create different colors. However, subpixels that emit blue light are the least stable and can be susceptible to screen “burn-in,” which can discolor the screen and ruin viewing quality.

In a paper published in Nature Materials, a team of researchers from Northumbria, Cambridge, Imperial and Loughborough universities describe a new design that overcomes these problems and may lead to simpler, less expensive systems with purer, more stable blue light.

Their findings could lead to TV and smartphone screens using less energy in the future, making them more efficient and sustainable.

An OLED is built like a sandwich, with organic semiconductor layers between two electrodes. In the center of the stack is the emitting layer, which lights up when supplied with electricity. The electrical energy passes to the molecules, which then release this extra energy in the form of light.

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An ideal OLED converts most electrical energy into light, but sometimes the energy is diverted and degrades the OLED structure. This is especially a problem with blue light and reduces both the efficiency and lifespan of the OLED.

Dr Marc Etherington, Assistant Professor of Molecular Photophysics in the Department of Mathematics, Physics and Electrical Engineering at Northumbria University, researches the properties of organic semiconductors.

He conducted a spectroscopic analysis of the molecules’ triplet energies to measure and gain crucial insight into how their energy transfer process works.

Dr. Etherington’s findings provide a key element for this study, helping the research team form a complete picture of the layout of energy levels.

The research team designed a new light-emitting molecule to which shields were added to block destructive energy pathways and control how the molecules interact.

This better understanding of how efficient a molecule can be in an OLED will inform how materials are designed and used in the future, supporting the drive towards higher device performance.

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Etherington explained in a statement: “With this new molecule we have created a channel to develop more efficient OLEDs that will reduce the energy consumption of our devices in the information age. “As we all work towards net zero targets, this could have a significant impact for both manufacturers and consumers.”

Co-corresponding author Dr Daniel Congrave, from the University of Cambridge, who led the materials design and synthetic work alongside Professor Hugo Bronstein, said: “OLED displays have excellent image quality and have high image quality. . However, OLED TVs do not last as long as other screens.

“Pixels that emit blue light are essential for a practical display, but they are also where the problems lie. We have designed a molecule that has allowed us to simplify the blue pixel’s emissive layer to just two components, while maintaining high efficiency, which could help reduce costs.

“The molecule we describe in this paper is also one of the narrowest blue-emitting molecules available, which is very useful for displays because it allows for high color purity.”

Source: Elcomercio

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