In its report "Forschung Kompakt 01/2017", the Fraunhofer Institute reports that Fraunhofer researchers at the Institute for Organic Electronics, Electron Beam and Plasma Technology FEP in Dresden, together with partners from industry and research, have succeeded for the first time in developing functional OLED electrodes made of graphene as part of the Gladiator research project.
Characteristic of the graphene OLED electrodes produced is the flexibility of the material. Which is transparent, stable and conductive at the same time, making it ideal for applications in the field of touchscreens, photovoltaics and wearables.
Future-oriented applications in just a few years
The electrodes developed by FEP are 2 x 1 square centimeter in size and are to be optimized in the next development steps with regard to impurities and defects that occur during the transfer of graphene to the carrier material. Already for the next two or three years, applications in various areas are conceivable, which are to come onto the market with this product. An advantage is the fact that graphene can be used on transparent film instead of glass. This clears the way for shatterproof touchscreens and smartphones, for example.
Graphene is a chemical relative of diamonds, coal or the graphite of pencil leads. It is one of the hardest and most resilient materials in the world. With only one atomic layer (less than a millionth of a millimeter thick), it is also one of the thinnest materials in the universe.
