On January 21, the NHK Science and Technology Research Laboratories (hereafter referred to as NHK STRL), in collaboration with Chiba University and Kyoto University, announced the development of the world’s first OLED display device featuring the dual functions of light emission and solar power generation, having successfully achieved blue light emission. This technology is intended for use in disaster-hit areas, allowing the display to emit light independently without an external power supply.

Previously, organic semiconductor light emission and solar power generation operated on opposing principles: the former requires electrical power to produce light, while the latter generates electricity by absorbing light, making it difficult to integrate both functions into a single device. For this breakthrough, the research team adopted MR-TADF materials—which possess both high luminous efficiency and strong light absorption properties—and by precisely controlling the energy inside the device, they successfully created an OLED device that can switch between light-emitting and solar power-generating modes.

As noted, MR-TADF materials represent an advanced evolution of third-generation OLED technology. They are characterized by the ability to emit narrow-spectrum light (with a full width at half maximum of less than 40nm), delivering high color purity and high efficiency performance. The research team has successfully achieved light emission in the three primary colors of red, green and blue; among these, the external quantum efficiency of the green and red light-emitting devices exceeds 8.5%, with both luminous efficiency and power-generating efficiency reaching the world’s highest level.

In addition to applying the OLED display technology independently developed in-house, NHK STRL has jointly conducted research and development of MR-TADF materials with Kyoto University, and advanced analytical research on the material’s operating principles in partnership with Chiba University.

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NHK STRL stated that it will next focus on enhancing the luminous efficiency, power-generating efficiency and durability of the device, with the goal of commercializing low-power-consumption display devices. In the future, this technology may also be applied in fields requiring precise color reproduction, such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR).