Researchers at NIST and Sharp Laboratories have discovered new optical properties in semiconductor nanoplatelets (NPLs) that could make flat-screen TVs, laptops and other light-emitting devices more energy-efficient. These sheet-like materials, just a few atoms thick, are made of cadmium telluride and could potentially replace phosphor coatings currently used in displays and lighting technologies.
NPLs could offer several advantages over existing phosphor and quantum dot (QD) technologies. Like QDs, NPLs emit multicolored light, but their color-converting properties are much easier to control – determined only by their thickness, a simpler property to manage than the size of three-dimensional QDs. Importantly, NPLs do not experience light quenching at elevated temperatures, a problem that plagues QDs.
While more research is needed before NPLs can be widely adopted, their potential impact on energy efficiency could be significant. About 15% of the world’s electricity consumption is currently used for lighting, and NPLs could help reduce this waste. Scientists are also working on developing cadmium-free NPLs for broader market use.
Source: https://www.nist.gov/materials/nanoplatelets-could-make-tvs-more-energy-efficient
Keywords: semiconductor nanoplatelets, light-converting elements, energy-efficient
