Spray-on process creates bright, efficient LEDs

Researchers have developed a process to make light-emitting diodes by spraying a substrate with quantum dots (ACS Photonics 2017, DOI: 10.1021/acsphotonics.7b00216). The quantum-dot LEDs (QLEDs) are 100 times as bright and efficient as similar devices, the researchers say. The process could someday be used to mass-produce inexpensive, vibrant, and flexible displays. Quantum dots are semiconductor nanocrystals that emit a single wavelength when stimulated by electricity or light. This pure color can be tuned by changing the size or composition of the nanocrystals. In some electronic displays on the market today, quantum dots convert blue light from a conventional LED into red and green light, needed for a full-color display.