Photovoltaic OLEDs: The Lightbulb Combines with the Solar Panel

Organic LEDs take electricity and convert it directly into light, a wonderful and useful purpose that we have great hopes for. But what if the process could run both ways. Sometimes the OLED turns electricity into light, and other times it turns light into electricity. It's basically the same thing, just backwards, right?

Well, apparently, it is possible, as scientists and engineers at Cornell have done it! These have all the wonderful properties of OLED's, they're flexible, they produce a lot of light per watt, and they can be mass produced inexpensively. But also, when exposed to bright light, the reaction is reversed, and a current flows out of the OLED instead of into it.

So now, OLEDs can be both an energy collector and a light emitter, depending on the needs of the consumer. Imagine your cell phone's backlight collecting energy from ambient light when not in use. Or your windows collecting energy during the day and then producing light at night.

Soon, OLEDs may offer both low-cost lighting and low-cost energy production. A paper on this subject was just published in the journal Science, in which the Cornell researchers recognized that they needed to discover ways to make the photovoltaic reaction more efficient before it can be mass produced.

Via Scenta

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OLED-Displays
written by erik, September 17, 2006

All about OLED-Displays at

Organic LED's are already amazing
written by Atul, September 18, 2006

When I worked in Product Planning at Saturn (GM), some suppliers did a presentation on OLED's and how they were brigbter, less directionally sensitive for viewing, and less sensitive to cold temperatures. If it becomes a means to generate energy, these would be the ultimate technology.

I wonder if OLEDs that generate could produce energy from light if the whole display isn't being used. That would be even more amazing.

Interested in manufacturing OLEDs
written by Ocian Dan, April 10, 2007

I'm interested to find out how to manufacture OLEDs even in laboratory . What is necessary for such a process?

Professor of materials science
written by karnati somaiah, July 11, 2007

I am working on luminescence properties of various materials/phosphors.
I am interested to make OLED in my laboratory.
Could you please write a procedure "How to make a OLED" in laboratory
prof.karnati somaiah

tlevisor como panel solar
written by mario, January 23, 2008

hola. quisiera saber como puedo construir de una pantalla de television una pantalla fotovoltaica.por favpor solicitaria el metodo para realizar las pruebas necesarias.Desde ya muchas gracias