Luminescent liquid crystals in OLED display technology

Article By:

Kozhevnikov, Valery N. Department of Applied Sciences, University of Northumbria, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom.

Bruce, Duncan W. Department of Chemistry, University of York, Heslington, York, United Kingdom.

Last reviewed:2014

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.YB150551

Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are the basis for a new display technology that was developed over the last 3 decades from initial prototypes to commercial displays found on some mobile phones today. The chief competing technology is the ubiquitous liquid-crystal display (LCD), but among the advantages offered by OLED technology is the possibility of flexible displays in novel formats. OLED displays are robust, energy-efficient, and offer excellent contrast because, being active displays, light is emitted only at those pixels that are “on.” OLED technology also attracts significant interest for lighting applications. Around 20% of electrical consumption is used in developed countries for lighting, owing to the inefficiency of conventional methods, but OLED-based lighting offers large gains in energy efficiency and allows environmentally undesirable materials, such as mercury used in fluorescent lighting, to be avoided. For lighting purposes, emission of white light (that is, across the whole of the visible spectrum) is required.

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