Blue light specials: New materials boost efficiency of blue OLEDs by 25 percent

March 22, 2009
Blue light specials

Enlarge

New, more efficient host materials for the blue phosphorescent OLED (pictured) have been designed, developed and tested by Pacific Northwest National Laboratory scientists. By using new host materials, scientists have been able to improve the efficiency by at least 25 percent and have unlocked doors to developing much more efficient white OLEDs. Credit: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Lighting consumes one-fifth of the electricity generated in the United States. Solid-state lighting offers tremendous potential to improve the situation - once major research challenges are overcome.

The most promising technology is the organic light-emitting diode, or . These multi-layered devices produce light by running an electrical current through a specially engineered host material into which light-producing phosphorescent molecules are embedded or "doped." The white light envisioned for large-scale applications, such as rooms and buildings, consists of red, green and .

"The weakest link in OLED research is the absence of an efficient, long-lasting blue light to accompany the red and green," said Pacific Northwest National Laboratory scientist Asanga Padmaperuma. Development of better host to manage the flow of electricity through the device could help solve that problem.

Padmaperuma and his collegues have designed, synthesized and tested new materials that improve the of blue OLEDs by at least 25 percent.

On Sunday, March 22, PNNL scientists will discuss advancements in blue OLED research in two presentations and a poster session at the spring meeting of the American Chemical Society.

More information:

9:00 AM-11:40 AM, Room 155 D, Salt Place Convention Center
Novel ambipolar host and hole blocking material system for blue electrophosphorescent OLEDs

PNNL scientist Asanga Padmaperuma will present design strategies developed through computational and for engineering blue OLED materials.

2:00 PM-5:00 PM, Room 155 , Salt Place Convention Center
Synthesis and application of anchored 2,3,5-trifluoro-7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (F3TCNQ) as organic molecular dopants in OLEDs

PNNL scientist Phillip Koech will discuss a novel approach for controlling the doping concentration and of the dopant material.

8:00 PM-10:00 PM, Hall 5, Salt Place Convention Center
Design of multifunctional phosphorescent emitters with charge transport moieties

PNNL scientist Asanga Padmaperuma will present a poster highlighting the team's use of computational chemistry to develop multifunctional emitter materials for blue OLEDs.

Source: Pacific Northwest National Laboratory

Filter


Move the slider to adjust rank threshold, so that you can hide some of the comments.


Display comments: newest first

Soylent
Mar 22, 2009

Rank: 5 / 5 (1)
"Lighting consumes one-fifth of the electricity generated in the United States."

Not this BS again.

Only domestic users have incandecent light bulbs; that's only 10% of 25%, i.e. some 2-3% of electricity consumption in the US that is due to incandescent bulbs. The rest is various gas discharge lamps(HPS, LPS, metal halide...) and fluorescent lighting; there's very little potential to save energy with OLEDs here as it is already extremely efficient(e.g. HPS, LPS) or cheap and moderately efficient(fluorescents) or fit for a particular purpose(metal halide projector lamp, a very good point source).
StellarHelix
Mar 23, 2009

Rank: 1 / 5 (1)
Yes those types are efficient but efficiency is merely the measure of the amount of input power versus the amount of output. In the case of flourescent bulbs they require a ballast to kick the power up to start the process and the longer the tube the more power is needed. Add to the fact that the ballast suffers loses, which if I recall Magnetic Ballast have a general loss of 25% and electronic about 10%. This also holds true for mercury vapor lamps as well since they have to utilize a system to reach high frequency AC in order to, as they refer to it, stike an arc. LEDs do not require these mechanisms to operate so eliminating them would indeed mean a reduction in overall consumption. But maybe I am wrong.
Velanarris
Mar 24, 2009

Rank: not rated yet
Yes those types are efficient but efficiency is merely the measure of the amount of input power versus the amount of output. In the case of flourescent bulbs they require a ballast to kick the power up to start the process and the longer the tube the more power is needed.
Yes but after that initial kick up the light is sustained at a far lower power consumption than an incandescent.
Add to the fact that the ballast suffers loses, which if I recall Magnetic Ballast have a general loss of 25% and electronic about 10%.
you're forgetting that incadescent lights spend the majority of their consumed energy generating heat, not light.

This also holds true for mercury vapor lamps as well since they have to utilize a system to reach high frequency AC in order to, as they refer to it, stike an arc.
This is also only used up front, the medium sustains performance at a far lower utilization after ignition.

LEDs do not require these mechanisms to operate so eliminating them would indeed mean a reduction in overall consumption. But maybe I am wrong.
You are wrong on this point. OLEDs still need a larger startup charge to function initially, sustaining the output takes far less.

Now if you wanted to argue for OLEDs you'd have to go with light output is far higher, presenting a greater quality of light and a more infinitely controllable spectrum. Then you'd be countered with a "who cares, white light incandescents are fine and cost 10,000% less."
Rank 4 /5 (7 votes)
Tags

blue light, materials, oled, organic light emitting diode, experimental chemistry, molecular diffusion, power efficiency
Related Stories
more news
Relevant PhysicsForums posts
  • How to determine zinc in a plant.
    createdFeb 11, 2012
  • Stoichiometry
    createdFeb 10, 2012
  • Boiling and melting point of impure substances
    createdFeb 10, 2012
  • Safe nitrogen compound to decompose a 500 deg C in a furnace?
    createdFeb 09, 2012
  • [ask]electron inside drinking water
    createdFeb 08, 2012
  • How to avoid formation of Lithium Chromate ???
    createdFeb 08, 2012
  • More from Physics Forums - Chemistry

More news stories

Scientists discover molecular secrets of 2,000-year-old Chinese herbal remedy

For roughly two thousand years, Chinese herbalists have treated Malaria using a root extract, commonly known as Chang Shan, from a type of hydrangea that grows in Tibet and Nepal. More recent studies suggest that halofuginone, ...

Chemistry / Biochemistry

created 8 hours ago | popularity 4.5 / 5 (17) | comments 14 | with audio podcast

New method to examine batteries -- MRI from the inside

There is an ever-increasing need for advanced batteries for portable electronics, such as phones, cameras, and music players, but also to power electric vehicles and to facilitate the distribution and storage of energy derived ...

Chemistry / Analytical Chemistry

created 8 hours ago | popularity 5 / 5 (6) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Hydrogen from acidic water: Researchers develop potential low cost alternative to platinum for splitting water

A technique for creating a new molecule that structurally and chemically replicates the active part of the widely used industrial catalyst molybdenite has been developed by researchers with the Lawrence Berkeley ...

Chemistry / Materials Science

created Feb 09, 2012 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (16) | comments 21 | with audio podcast

Fool's gold may prove an unlikely alternative to overexploited catalytic materials

Catalytic materials, which lower the energy barriers for chemical reactions, are used in everything from the commercial production of chemicals to catalytic converters in car engines. However, with current catalytic materials ...

Chemistry / Materials Science

created Feb 10, 2012 | popularity 4.4 / 5 (8) | comments 8 | with audio podcast

Research provides octagonal window of opportunity for carbon capture

(PhysOrg.com) -- Filtering carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, from factory smokestacks is a necessary, but expensive part of many manufacturing processes. However, a collaborative research team from the National ...

Chemistry / Materials Science

created Feb 08, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 5 | with audio podcast


Google might launch Drive for cloud storage soon

(PhysOrg.com) -- Google's next big move, according to the Wall Street Journal, is a cloud storage service called Drive. Hardly first to the plate, Google is simply catching up to introducing its cloud reposi ...

A mitosis mystery solved: How chromosomes align perfectly in a dividing cell

Although the process of mitotic cell division has been studied intensely for more than 50 years, Whitehead Institute researchers have only now solved the mystery of how cells correctly align their chromosomes during symmetric ...

Lab study raises questions over nano-particle impact

Tests involving chickens have raised questions about the impact on health from engineered nano-particles, the ultra-fine grains commonly used in drugs and processed foods, scientists said on Sunday.

Starve a virus, feed a cure? Findings show how some cells protect themselves against HIV

A protein that protects some of our immune cells from the most common and virulent form of HIV works by starving the virus of the molecular building blocks that it needs to replicate, according to research published online ...

Overeating may double risk of memory loss

New research suggests that consuming between 2,100 and 6,000 calories per day may double the risk of memory loss, or mild cognitive impairment (MCI), among people age 70 and older. The study was released today and will be ...

Researchers find extensive RNA editing in human transcriptome

In a new study published online in Nature Biotechnology, researchers from BGI, the world's largest genomics organization, reported the evidence of extensive RNA editing in a human cell line by analysis of RNA-seq data, demons ...