LEDs have become the standard source of energy-efficient lighting. They make use of semiconductors to turn electricity into light. Depending upon the materials used to make them, LEDs produce different colors. In the early 1990s, the first blue LEDs were discovered, ultimately earning the Nobel Prize in physics, and enabling LEDs to produce white light, which is essential for general lighting applications.
Blue LEDs have shortcomings. Some have issues with stability, scalability, cost, efficiency, complexity in manufacturing, or have environmental concerns because of the use of toxic components.
Researchers at Rutgers University in collaboration with scientists at several other institutions have found a way to make blue LEDs more efficient and sustainable. These LEDs use a new type of hybrid material that is a combination of copper iodide with organic molecules. The impressive performance of these LEDs was achieved through an innovative technique called dual interfacial hydrogen-bond passivation. This new manufacturing technique boosts the performance of LEDs by a factor of four.
The material has several advantages. It has a very high photoluminescence quantum yield, which means that it converts nearly all the photoenergy it receives into blue light. The LEDs last longer than many others and they work well in larger-scale applications, maintaining high efficiency. The materials are eco-friendly and cost-effective.
According to the researchers, this new approach could be a versatile strategy for generating high-performance LEDs that can pave the way for better, brighter, and longer-lasting LEDs.
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Scientists Develop Deep-Blue LEDs Expected to Greatly Enhance General Lighting
Photo, posted February 1, 2021, courtesy of Ivan Radic via Flickr.
Earth Wise is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio
