Chapter 19 - Engineered Nanomaterials for Organic Light-Emitting Diodes (OLEDs)

Abstract

Development of material engineering in the nanometer scale has generated new electroluminescent materials and systems that could potentially lead to realization of roll-to-roll process as well as low-cost of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) in the future. Luminescent and nonluminescent nanomaterials are used today in a variety of lighting applications. Recently, low power consuming optoelectronic devices such as photovoltaic cells (PVCs), electrochromic devices, and OLEDs play a vital role in semiconductor nanotechnology to conserve the energy in future. OLED is a solid state device composed of thin films of organic materials that generates emission of light with the application of potential, which is an emerging technology for both solid state lighting and flat panel display appliances because of its distinctive advantages such as ultrathin thickness, low power consumption, ability to emit light without any external backlight sources, and wide view. Solid state lighting devices will soon replace the conventional illumination sources because of their advantages in low power consumption, longer lifetime, and environmental friendliness. White-emitting OLED (WOLED) is of particular importance as lighting sources for developing efficient solid state lighting, and the key challenges that WOLED technology must obey to enable general illumination applications include white light with high color rendering index, increased efficiency and versatility, low cost, low operational potential, and long lifetime. In this chapter, OLEDs will be discussed with special emphasis on WOLED.