Project description
A novel sustainable light-emission technology through control of dynamic doping
Artificial illumination is essential in modern society, with LEDs and OLEDs playing a key role. However, their production consumes significant amounts of critical raw materials and energy, and their recycling remains challenging. The light-emitting electrochemical cell (LEC) presents a promising, sustainable alternative through its energy-efficient CRM-free printing fabrication, but it currently lags in emission performance. To render LECs more efficient and sustainable, it is critical to suppress exciton quenching by nearby dopants in the p-n junction region. The ERC-funded InnovaLEC project aims to develop means for the control of the in-situ formed p-n junction doping structure, and through a subsequent tuning of this doping structure enable efficient LEC emission. This approach presents a novel path to high-efficiency LECs without relying on energy-intensive processes or toxic materials.
Objective
Artificial illumination is fundamental and ubiquitous in modern society, and the cuArtificial illumination is fundamental and ubiquitous in modern society, and the current large-scale commercialization of more efficient and practical technologies, in the form of LEDs and OLEDs, is therefore important. This development is not only resulting in improved luminaires and displays, but also paving the way for a wide range of applications in, e.g. medtech, security, and communication. However, a growing concern is related to that the fabrication of LEDs and OLEDs consumes large amounts of critical raw materials (CRMs) and energy, and that their recycling is poorly developed and difficult.
A novel illumination technology, the light-emitting electrochemical cell (LEC), is in this context interesting, and we and others have recently developed concepts for its material- and energy-efficient and CRM-free printing fabrication and its delivery of efficient emission (although not yet on par with LED/OLED). These combined achievements now pave the way for a timely and important challenge: can the LEC become the first emissive technology that is truly sustainable through its entire lifecycle?
We boldly argue that this vision can turn true if we can take control of the defining LEC feature, viz. the dynamic formation of a p-n junction by electrochemical doping. It was recently shown that current LECs suffer from severe quenching of the excitons (the photon precursors formed in the p-n junction) by too-nearby dopants, and we here introduce new insights and methodologies that address this setback through rational design and careful development of new materials. A key task is to tune the mobility of the electronic charge carriers and excitons, through guidelines established by modeling, for the attainment of a sharp p-n junction boundary. We emphasize that our proposed path to high-efficiency LECs does not depend on energy-intense processes or the use of toxic or CRM-based materials.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- engineering and technology environmental engineering waste management waste treatment processes recycling
- natural sciences physical sciences condensed matter physics quasiparticles
- natural sciences physical sciences theoretical physics particle physics photons
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Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Programme(s)
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Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC)
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Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
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Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
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Call for proposal
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Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) ERC-2022-ADG
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901 87 UMEA
Sweden
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