Hyperfluorescent OLEDs promise more efficient displays according to recent research

Researchers discovered a new method to reduce the high power consumption of blue pixels in OLEDs.

A recent paper published in Nature shows that hyperfluorescent OLEDs can significantly reduce the energy to display blue. This method relies on two molecules working together, rather than focusing on one molecule that must meet all requirements. By reducing the power consumption for the blue pixels, the pixels would naturally burn less into the screen. The goal of this research is to find a commercially viable method that achieves better efficiency for the blue part of OLEDs. This technology is only in the research phase and will not immediately appear on the market.

Blue takes a lot of energy

OLED screens contain tiny pixels that emit light separately when current flows through them. Each individual pixel therefore has its own light source, which means that black is really black, which increases the contrast of the screen. To create different color tones, three sub-pixels are added to each pixel, each containing one of the primary colors: red, green and blue. It is the last color that consumes the highest power.

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“Essentially, after decades of effort, it has not been possible to obtain a blue light-emitting molecule for OLEDs that meets every property we would want at the same time (efficiency, stability and color purity),” explains Dr. Daniel Congrave, a co-author of the article, told The Register.

Collaborating molecules

Researchers from various universities looked for a way to reduce the power consumption of the blue color. After continuing to search for the perfect molecule for emitting blue light, the researchers took a different tack. Rather than expecting a single molecule to accomplish all requirements, the work is divided between several molecules that individually do a good job of their assigned portion. This solution is called hyperfluorescence.

Hyperfluorescence consists of two major components, the sensitizing molecule, which is expected to efficiently transfer energy to the terminal transmitter, the emitter molecule, which then emits a pure color. “A really important thing with hyperfluorescence is making sure that the energy actually goes where you want it to go, in the right order,” Congrave told The Register.

In the past, a matrix was used for this to prevent energy from being incorrectly distributed. Researchers now circumvented the need for that matrix by isolating the terminal transmitter with covalent encapsulation.

Reduces burn-in problem

This new technique would also reduce pixel burn-in, but not eliminate it completely. This was not the design of the study, but a natural consequence of reducing energy consumption. This research highlights the potential of this hyperfluorescent method, but that does not mean it will be on store shelves anytime soon.