Printed OLEDs make large advertising more communicative
Placed between two electrodes, one of which is transparent, the organic light-emitting semiconductor produces light as electric current is conducted through the component. The 0.2mm thin stack of electrodes and polymer layers can now be printed not only onto glass or steel surfaces but also onto flexible plastic films, enabling significantly larger light surfaces and expanding the usage possibilities of the technology.
This type of light-emitting plastic film and processing in ambient atmosphere had not been created before on this scale, according to the research center. Production of such electroluminescent surfaces could now be done in facilities such as traditional printing houses. The luminosity of OLED (lm/W) amounts up to around one third of an LED’s luminosity, but is has one advantage: OLED emits light throughout its entire surface, whereas LED is a spotlight technology.
Today, VTT’s plastic OLED film will only emit light for around a year, since light-emitting polymer materials are susceptible to oxygen and moisture. In the future, the film’s lifespan is expected to increase as better screen protectors and oxygen barriers are developed.
"The plastic film is optimally suited to advertising campaigns, in which large light-emitting surfaces can be used to draw significantly more attention than can be gained through mere printed graphics or e-ink-type black-and-white displays that do not emit light," said Head of Research Area Raimo Korhonen from VTT.
The OLED light could not only be used for advertising or signalling, it could also be operated as a wireless communication link, subrepticely pushing data to IoT applications on top of its visible message.
Visit the VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd at www.vtt.fi
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