Future of OLEDs Technology in Wearable Textiles

Abstract

Research in the field of wearable and smart textiles and their development is rapidly growing due to the advancement of current and next-generation smart electronics era. Integrating electronics with characteristic properties of textiles like flexibility, permeability, durability, biocompatibility, and ease of use is the major challenge for the existing wearable electronics area. Silicon-based displays are expensive fixed and rigid, and hence they are not suitable for wearable and flexible electronics. So, we need its replacements without sacrificing the net result of the devices. This paper is focused on the development of OLEDs by several coatings of organic materials on wearable fabrics, modifications of fiber and fabric properties, selection of suitable substrate for OLEDs, printing, vapor deposition method of OLEDs coatings, and advantage and disadvantages of these methods. It also emphasizes the need for OLEDs encapsulation, surface planarization (for decreasing the surface roughness of substrate) and discusses the architecture of the display stacks. Further, important results and findings of previous research are discussed to study the suitability of OLEDs in wearable textiles. The results include water vapor transmission rate tests, mechanical stress–strain test, and electrical conductivity test. The utilization of health monitoring, entertainment, and industrial application of displays in textiles will revolutionize the functionality of clothing in future.