Perovskite LEDs, a promising next-generation LED, are easy to manufacture, inexpensive, and have a low environmental impact.
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Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have the characteristics of low power consumption, long life, and the ability to be miniaturized, and since the invention of high-brightness types, they have been used for a variety of purposes such as electronic billboards, indoor lighting, large displays, and traffic lights. Researchers at Linköping University in Sweden have published a paper evaluating the perovskite LED (PeLED), the next generation of LEDs, as being 'cheaper to make than conventional LEDs, capable of displaying vivid colors, less burden on the environment, and having great potential as a next-generation lighting technology.'
Towards sustainable perovskite light-emitting diodes | Nature Sustainability
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-024-01503-7
Next generation LEDs are cheap and sustainable - Linköping University
https://liu.se/en/news-item/nasta-generations-lysdioder-ar-billiga-och-miljovanliga
PeLED is a light-emitting diode that uses a crystalline material with a 'perovskite structure' composed of organic matter, metals and halogen elements as the light-emitting material. PeLED is easier and less expensive to manufacture than conventional LEDs, and can produce vivid and strong colors when used in displays. Another major point is that it can be made from materials that are abundant on Earth.
The research team, led by Professor Feng Gao of the Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology and Professor Olof Hjelm of the Department of Industrial Engineering at Linköping University, used life cycle assessment and techno-economic assessment methods to analyze the environmental impact and costs of PeLEDs throughout their entire life cycle, from production to disposal, and simultaneously evaluated the environmental, economic and technical factors that are essential for the commercialization of PeLED technology.
According to the research team, in terms of cost, the manufacturing cost of industrial-scale PeLEDs is estimated to be about $38 to $121 per square meter (about 5,700 yen to 18,000 yen), which is significantly lower than the $87 to $265 per square meter of OLEDs.
However, at the time of writing, the manufacturing cost of laboratory-scale PeLEDs is about $63 to $178 per square meter (about 9,400 to 26,600 yen). This is because the cost of the charge transport materials used in the layers for carrying electrons and holes is large. In addition to improving the large-scale manufacturing process, improvements to PeLED manufacturing technology will require the reuse of organic solvents and the search for alternatives to rare metals.
The research team predicts that in the future, the total cost of PeLED products will be about $100 (about 15,000 yen) per square meter, which is a cost level that would be commercially competitive and could replace conventional LED technology.
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In addition, the research team pointed out that the lead content of PeLEDs is small, and is not as serious a source of toxicity as commonly thought. Rather, the mining and refining of rare metals such as gold places a large burden on the environment. By replacing gold with copper, aluminum, or nickel, the environmental impact can be significantly reduced while maintaining the functionality of LEDs.
In addition, the team also presented a criterion that the lifetime of PeLEDs must reach approximately 10,000 hours to ensure their commercial sustainability. At the time of writing, the most advanced PeLEDs have a lifetime of several hundred hours, but with rapid technological developments, the team believes this goal is achievable.
Muyi Zhang, a doctoral student in the Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology at Linköping University, who participated in the study, said, 'Even if a product has high technical performance, if it is expensive and not environmentally sustainable, it may not be competitive in the market,' emphasizing the need for a broad perspective that includes both environmental and economic aspects in research and development.
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