Quantum dot LEDs bend and fold like origami paper

A new ultrathin quantum dot light-emitting diode (QLED) that bends and creases like a piece of origami paper could be ideal for next-generation displays and foldable mobile phones.

The device was made using laser etching, and researchers at the Institute of Basic Sciences in Korea say that the same technique could also be used to create QLED structures with complex 3D shapes that stand up to repeated folding.

The researchers used their foldable QLEDs to build a star-shaped passive matrix array displaying letters and numbers, as well as other 3D structures shaped like a pyramid, a cube, an aeroplane and even a butterfly.