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Device physics

Enlightening solutions

Nature volume 437, pages 327–328 (2005)Cite this article

White-light-emitting diodes are becoming increasingly important, but what is the best way to build compact devices possessing high efficiency? Bright prospects are offered by multi-layer organic devices grown from solution.

Sources of white light are found almost everywhere — in lighting and signage generally, but increasingly as backlights in all sorts of displays, for example in laptop computers or smart phones. The development of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) promises further innovation in the field: such diodes are lightweight, provide high brightness at low power, and can be fabricated on flexible substrates to form thin devices at potentially low production cost1. Writing in Advanced Materials, Gong et al.2 demonstrate the use of semiconducting electrolytes to grow highly efficient, multi-layer, white-light OLEDs from solution.

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Figure 1: Cross-section through the multi-layer OLED developed by Gong and colleagues2.

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  1. Klaus Meerholz is at the Institute of Physical Chemistry, University of Cologne, Luxemburgerstrasse 116, Cologne, 50939, Germany

    Klaus Meerholz

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  1. Klaus Meerholz
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Meerholz, K. Enlightening solutions. Nature 437, 327–328 (2005). https://doi.org/10.1038/437327a

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