Thin gets thinner: Self-powered, bendable OLED lights

As we’ve been describing on GE Reports, the sky’s the limit when it comes to all of the imaginative uses of OLEDs — the bendable, paper-thin lighting technology that will one day be used in everything from light-up wallpaper to illuminated firefighter uniforms. Now, a new partnership between GE Global Research and Israel’s Power Paper will develop OLEDs that can run when no power source is available. As Popular Science aptly puts it: “Low-tech power sources continue to constrain more creative uses of the lights. After all, what good is a shirt of woven LEDs if you need to lug around 10 C batteries to power it? Thankfully, GE is teaming up with the makers of printable, paper-thin batteries to create self-powered OLEDs with the battery integrated into the thin light element itself.”

Light touch: An artist rendering depicts one of many potential applications for self-powered OLEDs. Campers would be able to stick strips of OLED lighting inside their tents without the need for bulky and noisy generators.

Organic light emitting diodes, or OLEDs, are basically thin films of organic molecules sandwiched between sheets of plastic that illuminate when electricity is applied. OLEDs can be cut, folded, wrapped around corners — and printed in rolls just like a newspaper.

In addition to matching GE’s advanced OLED R&D with the paper-thin battery technology, the teams hope to develop low-cost, high volume manufacturing processes so that the self-powered OLEDs could be widely used in the marketplace — from military ships to night-time jogging vests. Zvika Nitzan, Power Paper’s chief technology officer, explained that their batteries have added benefits, as they don’t contain caustic chemicals, are non-toxic and non-flammable, and they can’t overheat, explode, or cause burns or electrical shock. It means they can therefore “be freely shipped, stored, and disposed of after use,” he said, which is a critically important advantage in a general illumination market that’s estimated to be worth $2.5 billion.

The creative gears are already turning when it comes to other uses of the technologies. As popsci.com’s writer quipped: “GE already imagines lighting a tent without the use of a generator, but I’m thinking bigger. Anyone in the mood for a portable, self-powered flat-screen TV you can roll up like a poster?”

* Read the announcement
* Read coverage from Popular Science
* Read coverage from Reuters
* Read “The GE Genius Series: Thin is in with OLEDs” on GE Reports
* Learn more about GE’s OLED work on our Global Research blog
* Read Wired magazine’s story on when OLEDs will hit the market
* Read “GE Makes OLED Christmas Tree” in Wired magazine
* Watch a video showing how OLEDs might one day be used