What They Say
We’re a bit late with this one, but a group of researchers from Stanford University have had a paper published in Nature on 23rd March that describes how they have made soft and stretchy ‘skin-inspired’ flexible displays. The device is made entirely from flexible polymers and has a maximum brightness ‘at least two times that of a cellphone’ and can be stretched up to twice its original length without tearing.
About three years ago, however, postdoctoral scholar Zhitao Zhang discovered that a yellow-colored light-emitting polymer called SuperYellow not only became soft and pliable but also emitted brighter light when mixed with a type of polyurethane, a stretchy plastic. Zhang, who is the first author of the study, said:
“If we add polyurethane, we see SuperYellow form nanostructures. These nanostructures are really important. They make the brittle polymer stretchable, and they make the polymer emit brighter light because the nanostructures are connected like a fishnet.”
The resulting all-polymer film can be adhered to an arm or finger and doesn’t rip during bending or flexing. This will allow wearable trackers to have their display directly attached to the skin.
What We Think
The paper actually rates the output of the display as 7,450 cd/m² which is a lot more than a smartphone. (BR)
