Researchers at Linköping University have identified key drivers for new types of LED technology to have a commercial impact in a study published in Nature Sustainability.
The researchers, who specialise in innovations contributing to environmental sustainability can be introduced to the market, investigated the environmental impact and cost of 18 different perovskite-based LEDs, using life cycle assessments and techno-economic assessments to evaluate their impact.
Feng Gao, professor of optoelectronics, Linköping University, commented: “Perovskite LEDs are cheaper and easier to manufacture than traditional LEDs, and they can also produce vibrant and intense colours if used in screens. I’d say that this is the next generation of LED technology.”
The life cycle assessment, identifies five unique phases: raw material production, manufacturing, distribution, use and decommissioning. The researchers identified that the small amount of toxic lead found in perovskite LEDs, which is currently necessary for the perovskites to be effective, is not the only potentially dangerous material used in LED production.
The researchers identified that gold, used in LEDs, is extremely toxic, creating byproducts such as mercury and cyanide which according to the researchers is “very energy-consuming”.
The investigation identified copper, aluminium or nickel as a replacement for gold, while maintaining the small amount of lead needed for an LED to function optimally.
During the investigation, the researchers concluded that perovskite based LEDs have potential for commercialisation in the long term due to potential lower costs and lowered environmental impacts, however lower life expectancy is currently a large hurdle to adoption. The researchers believe that perovskite LED needs to reach an approximate 10,000 hours life cycle to have a positive environmental impact, compared to the hundreds of hours of operation which the researchers claim that current perovskite LEDs last for.
Pictured: Phd student, Muyi Zhang studying LED perovskites at Linköping University. Photo credit: Olov Planthaber