Bendable, Flexible ‘Electronic Paper’ Releases Colors Similar to LED Displays

Thinner than even a micrometer, malleable and illuminating colors similar to a standard LED display and consuming energy ten times less than a Kindle tablet. With such a description, researchers announced the introduction of an all new ‘electronic paper.’ The study is performed by the researchers from Chalmers University of Technology, who have introduced the basis for a novel ‘electronic paper.’ 

 

 

The researchers namely, Andreas Dahlin and his Ph.D. student Kunli Xiong were plating conductive polymers on nanostructures, they identified that the formation would be precisely suited to generate electrical displays as slim as paper. A year later, the results were prepared for publication. A substance that is less slim even than a micrometer flexible and illuminates all possible colors of LED display.

 

“The electronic paper’ is almost similar to the Kindle tablet,” confirms Andreas Dahlin. “It does not display a basic display unit but reflects external light in various colors. Hence, it delivers excellent results where the light is extremely bright, like in the sun. It is a contrasting feature of the electronic paper from LED display that works best in the darkness. Also, it requires an only tenth amount of energy that is being consumed by the Kindle tablet.”

 

All this is based on the ability of polymers to regulate the reflection and absorption ability of lights. The polymers that encompass the entire surface result in electric signals throughout the entire display and prepare images in high resolution. The substance is not ready for application, but there are possibilities. Such use the same blue, green and red colors together can prepare all the colors similar to LED display. The outcomes till date are positive what remains now are to create pixels that cover an area as big as a display.

 

“We are executing a fundamental level but even so the step to produce a product out of it must not be too far away. What we require now are engineers.” One constraint today is that there are a silver and gold display that creates the entire manufacturing costly. “The surface of gold is 20 nanometers thick, so there is not a high volume of gold present in it,” says Andreas Dahline. “But presently, there is a large sum of gold wasted, and hence we are looking for effective ways to reduce the manufacturing cost.”

 

The electronic paper delivers excellent results under all state of affairs, but the outcomes are unmatched specially if there is a bright light.  The researchers are presently working on this limitation of the paper and trying to find ways that if it would be possible for the paper to release similar outcomes even in the darkness. While it is an on-going study, the scientists still believe that the paper can be brought to use and employed to some of the applications.

 

Presently, Andreas Dahlin believes that the finest application for such displays will be well-lit and bright places or public places to display vital information. It would help to not only reduce the energy consumption, but also make it more flexible to replace the information and signs screens that are not presently electronic today.