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Polar OLED Locate at CPI to Scale up OLED Technology

23 Mar 2016

Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) have the potential to be integrated into formed parts or seamlessly bonded onto curved surfaces, and the commercialisation of this technology will open up a host of exciting design opportunities to create new value adding display products in many different application areas, such as architecture, automotive, aerospace and consumer electronics. The technology allows for ultra-thin, highly bendable, very lightweight, and even transparent, energy efficient display solutions that can be made or cut to any shape or size.

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While there are several approaches to producing OLED displays, it is well recognised that each has their individual benefits and drawbacks. Polar OLED uses an altogether different – and unique – approach. They use liquid crystalline materials (CrystOLED) to generate polymer networks using UV-curing technology in the fabrication of flexible OLED displays.

The Polar OLED technology, using its proprietary CrystOLED materials, can be applied to almost any approach and provides additional benefits. These include fully printable fully flexible devices. In addition, because Polar OLED has complete control over its CrystOLED materials, it can offer a wide range of colours to suit client needs which can be achieved without wavelength filtration, and corresponding loss of brightness. Flexibility of design and device is Polar OLED’s strength and the company is working with CPI to scale up and develop their OLED technology for use in wearable applications.

Polar OLED are a spin-out company from University of Hull working in the field of OLED displays. The company was founded in 2008 by professors Steve Kelly and Mary O’Neill and started working with CPI in 2014 to develop, scale up and commercialise their associated patented materials and processes. The company is currently one of a number of SMEs who are located at CPI’s National Printable Electronics Centre.

Polar OLED has developed a number of demonstration products to showcase their materials. The company is using the Large Area Coating Equipment, spin and slot-die coating equipment as well as many of the analytical toolsets available at CPI. CPI has extensive capability and experience to support SMEs such as Polar OLED in the commercialisation of their OLED based applications. CPI offers a versatile equipment set to allow customers to scale up their products and processes from feasibility proof of concepts at small scale right through to roll to roll pilot scale production.

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