Cheap and environmentally friendly – The next generation of LEDs can be here soon
Costs, technical performance and environment -impact -these are the three most important aspects for a new type of LED technology to have a broad commercial impact on society. This has been demonstrated by researchers from Linkoping University in a study published in the sustainability of nature.
“Perovskite LEDs are cheaper and easier to produce than traditional LEDs, and they can also produce lively and intense colors if they are used in screens. I would say that this is the next generation of LED technology,” says Feng Gao, professor of Opto -electronics at Linkoping University.
However, to have a technological shift take place, where today’s LEDs are replaced by those based on the material perovskiet, more than just technical performance is required. That is why the Feng Gao research group collaborated with Professor Olof Hjelm and John Laurence Esuerra, university teacher at Liu. They specialize in how innovations that contribute to environmentalism can be introduced on the market.
Together they have investigated the environmental impact and costs of 18 different perovskiet -LEDs, knowledge that is currently incomplete. The study was conducted with the help of so-called life cycle assessment and techno-economic assessment.
Such analyzes require a clear system definition – that is, what is included and not in terms of costs and environmental impact. Within this framework what happens by the product that is made until it can no longer be used. The life cycle of the product, from cradle to grave, can be subdivided into five different phases: production of raw material production, production, distribution, use and dismantling. “We want to avoid the grave. And things become more complicated when you take recycling into account. But here we show that it is the most important thing to think about the reuse of organic solvents and how raw materials are produced, especially when they are rare materials,” says Olof Hjelm.
An example in which the life cycle analysis leads to guidelines, the small amount of toxic lead found in Perovskiet -Leds. This is currently necessary that the perovskites are effective. But according to Olof Hjelm it is a mistake focused on lead. There are also many other materials in LEDs, such as gold.
“Gold production is extremely toxic. There are by-products such as mercury and cyanide. It is also very energy-consuming,” he says.
Instead, the largest environmental profit would be achieved by replacing gold with copper, aluminum or nickel, while retaining the small amount of lead needed to function the LED LED to optimally function.
The researchers have concluded that Perovskite LEDs have a great potential for commercialization in the long term. Maybe they can even replace today’s LEDs, thanks to lower costs and less impact on the environment. The big problem is a long service life. However, the development of perovskiet -LEDs speeds up and their life expectancy is increasing. The researchers believe that it must achieve approximately 10,000 hours for a positive impact on the environment, something they think it is feasible. Nowadays the best perovskiet -Led’s last hundreds of hours.
Muyi Zhang, PhD student at the physics, chemistry and biology department at Liu, says that much of the research focus is so far on increasing the technical performance of LED, something he thinks it will change.
“We want what we develop in the real world. But then we as researchers have to broaden our perspective. If a product has high technical performance but is expensive and is not environmentally friendly, it may not be very competitive in the market. That mindset will increasingly lead our research.”
Research report:To sustainable perovskite light emittering diodes
