Two-way OLED displays to provide solar power

We've already got plenty of love for OLED. The technology provides cheap, flexible, and even transparent displays to our devices -- what more could we ask for? Well, some research types at Cornell University have developed a new version of Organic LED that not only emits light, but can take in solar energy to produce electricity. We're not so hot on all the science speak they're tossing around to make this possible, but it seems like the technology could be quite an exciting development for all sorts of products, from solar windows to self-charging screens. No word on how long it'll take this tech to go commercial, but they're already talking ways to make mass production a breeze, so that's at least a good sign.

[Via Gadgetbox]

[Ras Thavas @ Sep 18th 2006 9:12PM]

Imagine the possibilities, wonder if you could cover a car with this stuff. Talk about pimpin my ride.

[TZK @ Sep 18th 2006 9:17PM]

solar energy is the result, not how they produce it.


OMFG

[Jerome @ Sep 18th 2006 9:20PM]

WOW! This seem really nice! Your house with solarpower windows!

[Ben @ Sep 18th 2006 9:21PM]

The possibilities are endless.

Powering you car, and adding a HUD.

Windows that will power your house, and display information. (weather?)

Portable Electronics that will be able to charge themselves.

[Alex @ Sep 18th 2006 9:22PM]

This sounds sweet.

[XGM @ Sep 18th 2006 9:28PM]

With these imagine the battery life on PDA's, Laptops, UMPC's etc... Not only is the energy required very low, but also it can recharge the batteries. This is very promising, i cant wait to see it bein used in day to day gadgets

[Blake Dayton @ Sep 18th 2006 9:39PM]

I agree, the possibilities are large for this one.

[AyAn4m1 @ Sep 18th 2006 9:51PM]

Just some insight into the technical aspect... what I gathered from the Read link was that they were setting up a buffered solution, the most common example of which is blood. A buffer consists of two chemicals; an acid, and the salt of its conjugate base. One will accept free ions (the acid) and one will give them up (the salt). The net effect is that a chemical effect (in this case, luminescence) can be achieved in a much larger range of environmental conditions. By connecting the power generation to a diode, it forces the power to go out, but not in, thus maintaining a constant state where the buffer is willing to accept electrons. In case that clears anything up...

[CRANK @ Sep 18th 2006 10:05PM]

THERE ARE THREE NEW TECHNOLOGIES THAT MUST BE COMBINED TO CREATE A NEW GENERATION OF TECHNOLOGY.

#1 The OLED DISPLAY

#2 THE SOLAR CHARGING OLED DISPLAY (shown above)

#3 THE PIEZO ELECTRIC film which produces sound.

If you integrate these three technologies, you could theoretically have a PDA 1/3rd the depth of the MOTOROLA Q which could recharge itself and not require a speaker. Similar to the computer film Val Kilmer uses when he's on MArs in Red Planet.

[Mike10010100 @ Sep 18th 2006 10:06PM]

Wow! I use my laptop in daylight all the time, or where conditions are brighter than I would care to overcome. It would use less energy than the current laptops, be just as bright to overcome the brightness outside, and even charge my battery while it's at it! Wow! That's all I can say.

[the other steve jobs @ Sep 18th 2006 10:12PM]

Hey.... how about some OLED MONITORS!?!?!? We've been hearing about OLED since Duke Nukem Forever was announced, and yet, we still don't have...

OLED monitors larger than on cheap cameras
Holographic 1-inch cube memory
flying cars.

i swear, we're going to be on the real Starship Enterprise with LCDs, and we'll still be hearing about OLED monitors coming soon.

[Chris @ Sep 18th 2006 10:23PM]

sounds like this is an either-or kind of thing. the "holes", as the story called them, can emit photons (light) when a charge is applied, or absorb photons when exposed to light. I dont' see how it could emit and absorb at the same time.

[Elijah @ Sep 18th 2006 10:29PM]

Perhaps it could be a sandwiching of the two - an absorbent layer on top and an emitting layer below.

[QUOW @ Sep 18th 2006 11:08PM]

Man, OLED just gets better and better. Sadly, I will probably be at least 30 years old when they become mass-produced (I'm 18), but that gives me something to look forward to in my adult years.

:D

[QUOW @ Sep 18th 2006 11:10PM]

And why do my comments always show up as "QUOW"?

[Sfras @ Sep 18th 2006 11:11PM]

Imagine sky scrapers with windows of this. It would generate enough power to run the building.

[Murc @ Sep 19th 2006 11:33PM]

Wonder what the efficiency is.(?)

Solar power generally isn't very good. We can only collect a fraction of the power from the visible light spectrum.

If you outside on a sunny day...with this tech...and a full battery, I doubt the solar power boost would give you much more then a half hour of extra juice.

But never the less...its still a step forward.

[Nathan M @ Sep 18th 2006 11:43PM]

Man that is awesome. Though you can imagine, when you start coating your windows with this, etc. the power companies are going to have a coniption fit. :P Pretty awesome though, I can see virtually infinite possibilities here. Fun stuff. :D

[Terry @ Sep 19th 2006 1:15AM]

There is already a company with this type product in production [electric generating glass (not OLED)

XsunX, Inc. (XSNX), provider of technologies for solar energy infrastructure and developer of Power Glass(tm), an innovative thin-film solar technology that is intended to allow glass windows to produce electricity from the power of the sun, today announced the appointment of Mr. Kurt Laetz to the position of V.P. Global Sales. In his new position Mr. Laetz will focus on managing business development and brand positioning to U.S. and international market opportunities.

[Terry @ Sep 19th 2006 1:21AM]

Now I wonder if the light output by the OLED can be turned back in to electricity, sort of a self-sufficient energy source ;) only kidding.. there is always loss

[Michael @ Sep 19th 2006 2:18AM]

I kind of figured this would happen, I just didn't think it would happen so soon and I also figured it would be more along the lines of an electric ink kind of display. Something that didn't emit any light. It just seem to me like it would break some kind of physics (and granted I'm not a physics guy) that a display which emits light shouldn't be able to charge itself with light. That would seem almost perpetual.

I can only imagine that the next possible step for this technology would be as a camera sensor/screen. Where the same sensors used to gather solar power and display an image could be outfitted with microscopic lenses and your display would also become your camera. Imagine opening a window in your OS and it being a mirror.

[Mr. Pibbles @ Sep 19th 2006 5:35AM]

Don't worry about your "breaking the laws of physics" fears. When the OLED gives off light, it also gives off a bit of heat and vibrational energy, so energy is lost there. Also, even the best solar converters are nowhere near 100% efficient. And finally, even if the "sandwiched" OLED approach is used, the absorbing layer will be designed to absorb very little, if any, of the light from the emitting layer. Otherwise you wouldn't be able to see those pretty colors ;)

[Jay @ Sep 19th 2006 4:42AM]

Sending is not recieving. Thus, not perpetual. That thing is neat, though. Someday my dream of a roll-up laptop screen will be realized.

[CommanderROR @ Sep 19th 2006 7:48AM]

This is indeed fascinating technology, but like many things that could indeed turn out to be useful it'll probably vanish and never be seen again...

The Oil companies, the Power companies and the battery manufacturers will probably not let this happen...at least not in the closer future. eink has been around for ages and is still only getting used in a handful of devices, OLED has been around for ages and is still only in use as a display for puny little mp3 players, LEDs have been around for AGES and are still being used for nearly nothing, so I'm not too optimistic.

I'd buy this kind of tech straight away, and I guess many others here would do it as well (if it isn't too expensive), but we need big companies who support this and they are usually very slow to adopt new technology...

[Wonderboy @ Sep 19th 2006 11:48AM]

I wonder how much of the light is absorbed and how much passes through. Depending on the wavelengths absorbed and distortion of those passing through, they could potentially add a layer of this on top of current solar panels to maximize efficiency. Add that on top of all the potential applications already mentioned and you've got one blockbuster product.

[NitroNeo @ Sep 19th 2006 12:24PM]

Imagine... your High Def TV on the wall.

Imagine... You coat your walls with this, don't like the color, key in a different color. (No interior lighting fixtures)

Imagine... you don't like the color of your house, key a different color. (my personal favorite, would be to image exterior walls with a chameleon effect like the Predator suit.)

Now take it to the next level, the level above being able to collect photons... imagine the ability to see within a room, and transport that image somewhere else in the world...

[erich.strasser @ Oct 3rd 2006 1:15AM]

All about the next display generation OLED and all OLED products at http://www.oled-display.net or http://www.oled.at