The OLEDs do not heat up like today’s light bulbs and so are far more energy efficient and should last longer.
[…]
To create the new material, the scientists build up ultra-thin layers of plastics coated with green, red and blue dyes.
When an electric current passes through them, they combine to produce white light.
Previous attempts to make OLEDs like this have largely failed to make an impact because traditional phosphorescent blue dyes are very short lived.
The new polymer uses a fluorescent blue material instead which lasts much longer and uses less energy.
The researchers believe that eventually this material could be 100% efficient, meaning it could be capable of converting all of the electricity to light, without the heat loss associated with traditional bulbs.
The new material can also be printed onto glass or plastic and so in theory could create large areas of lighting, relatively cheaply.
(via bbc news)
