CPI Works Toward Development of Flexible Barrier, Replacement of ITO for OLED and OPV

The commercialization of organic light emitting diode (OLED) and organic photovoltaic (OPV) based applications such as flexible displays, lighting and energy harvesting devices is heavily dependent on the use of indium tin oxide (ITO) for transparent conducting films, and encapsulation films with high performance barrier properties.

There is an industry need for the creation of alternative technologies and materials that have equal performance but deliver low cost, sustainable, transparent and flexible products for these applications. Throughout Europe, it is proving extremely difficult to develop the manufacture of these alternative materials beyond laboratory scale to the position where they are available in large area quantities at a price compatible with supporting market growth.

The pan-European collaborative project Flexibilis is addressing these issues and providing the expertise to both develop and test these advances in large area OLED and OPV devices at pilot production scale. The project brings together world-class capability in the research, development and scale-up of printed electronics applications.

The Centre for Process Innovation (CPI) is coordinating the project, which includes UK-based Teer Coatings Limited (part of Miba), the University of Bolton, and two Austrian organizations namely the research centre NanoTecCenter Weiz Forschungsgesellschaft mbH and High Tech Coatings GmbH (also part of Miba).

Flexibilis began in March 2013 and has already addressing a number of problems which inhibit the uptake of OLED and OPV technologies.

“The Flexibilis project brings together highly capable European players able to develop the technologies needed for flexible electronics,” Phil Hollis, program manager at CPI, said. “Already we have demonstrated some promising results in the replacement of ITO and the development of a high performing barrier aiming at OLED and OPV applications. The next challenges will be to refine and apply these results to demonstration devices, and test their suitability at pilot manufacturing scale.”

Flexible electronics is an emerging technology that opens up a host of design opportunities and will lead to the creation of a range of future electronic applications in key market sectors such as print and packaging, healthcare, construction, automotive and aerospace. The ability to develop flexible form factors increases the freedom for designers to embed technology and functionality into their products, creating the opportunity for new, innovative components that are wireless, smarter, interactive, conformable, thinner, lightweight, and rugged which are able to blend more easily into the surrounding environment.

This new way of manufacturing electronics will give rise to a wide range of novel applications such as flexible displays for mobile devices, smart therapeutic bandages for managing and monitoring recovery of wounds, wearable electronics for monitoring and improving performance, wireless medical devices for rapid diagnostics using printed sensors, conformable lighting and intelligent packaging for consumer goods and industrial products, to name but a few.

FLEXIBILIS is an OLAE+ transnational call for collaborative research and development proposals under the European Commission’s (EC’s) ERA-NET Plus scheme. The aim of OLAE + is to attract, qualify and support proposals to develop and stimulate the technology and business relationships within the European printable electronics market, building the supply chain and removing barriers to industrialization.