The research team says that a new type of quantum dot was created, which can emit the brightest green ever achieved. This will allow TVs and displays to expand the palette of colors by more than 50%, it was claimed. The ultimate goal is to create the “holy-grail” of screen displays that can show all visible colors.
Brightest green QD ever
Quantum dots are used in LCD TVs today to increase luminance and expand the color gamut. In the future, QD can allow for even more colorful displays that are not based on LCD technology.
The researchers have found that “when quantum dots - tiny flecks of semiconductor that are prized for their crisp colours – are clustered together they are more fluorescent, providing a wide variety of colours.”
- “Through the project, quantum dots containing methylammonium lead bromine (MAPbBr3) were created. The experts found that by creating lamellar structures – fine layers, alternating between different materials - the human eye's response to the visible light was very high. This means that the material re-emitted a lot of the light that it absorbed and very bright colours were created.”
Current TVs are capable of covering DCI-P3 color gamut as seen to the right. The TV industry hopes to achieve Rec.2020 color gamut by year 2020. The research team did not comment specifically on Rec.2020 but said that the new type of quantum dot can create the brightest green color ever achieved by any nanomaterial. It will enable roughly 50% more colors than today’s quantum dot TVs.
- “In principle our findings go beyond new QD technology about to be released on the market, roughly 50% more colours than that,” Dr Elton Santos from the Queen’s University told FlatpanelsHD. “This AIE process can revolutionise the quality of the colours in TVs because the base colours are red, blue and green. Using AIE we can create the brightest green colour ever achieved by any nanomaterial. Once this bright green is integrated with the other two colours, the number of new colour combinations could exceed what is currently possible.”
”Holy-grail” of screen displays
The so-called “perovskite nanocrystals” are very power efficient and can reduce electricity consumption. The researchers are currently looking for similar processors for the blue and red primary colors, that, if successfully created, “can create the “holy-grail” of screen displays, which would replicate all of the colours that can be captured by the human eye”.
- “Normally the quantum yield, which determines the brightness, degrades significantly as quantum dots aggregate, forming crystalline solids. However, our investigations show that brighter levels are achievable because of the new photonic process that we have discovered and have named aggregation-induced emission (AIE),” said Professor Chih-Jen Shih who created the quantum dots and led the investigation at ETH Zurich.
- “Our findings also show that the perovskite nanocrystals emit light extremely quickly and are very energy efficient. This means reduction of electricity consumption, and consistent colour expression throughout a long lifespan,” said Professor Shangchao Lin, who led the research at Florida State University.
Queen’s University Belfast scientists have been working alongside a team of experts from Switzerland (ETH Zurich, Empa—Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology), USA (Florida State University) and Taiwan (National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, National Synchrotron Radiation Research Centre).
The team said that the research is almost ready for commercialization, adding that “the remaining tasks will be to enhance the stability of these compounds and to ensure that they can endure high temperatures, humidity and electrical energy being applied”. Dr. Santos was quoted as saying that “the next HD generation is just as close as three to four years away”.
