Elastomeric polymer light-emitting devices and displays

The emergence of devices that combine elasticity with electronic or optoelectronic properties offers exciting new opportunities for applications, but brings significant materials challenges. Here, we report the fabrication of an elastomeric polymer light-emitting device (EPLED) using a simple, all-solution-based process. The EPLED features a pair of transparent composite electrodes comprising a thin percolation network of silver nanowires inlaid in the surface layer. The resulting EPLED, which exhibits rubbery elasticity at room temperature, is collapsible, and can emit light when exposed to strains as large as 120%. It can also survive repeated continuous stretching cycles, and small stretching is shown to significantly enhance its light-emitting efficiency. The fabrication process is scalable and was readily adapted for the demonstration of a simple passive matrix monochrome display featuring a 5 × 5 pixel array.