TOPLESS - Thin Organic Polymeric Light Emitting Semiconductor Surfaces

A new generation of light-emitting polymers will be engineered to produce high-quality white light for solid-state lighting, replacing less efficient technologies. The project, called TOPLESS, aims to solve two problems: current organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) rely on indium tin oxide (ITO), a costly and brittle material, and they waste much of the light they generate internally. The researchers will develop thin, flexible polymer films that emit white light directly, and redesign the device architecture to extract more of that light—boosting external quantum efficiency. They have set a target for a glass-based device platform by year three: a lifetime of 15,000 hours, brightness of 200 cd/m² (roughly 2,000 lumens per square metre), and efficiency above 20 lumens per watt. If successful, the work could create a generic manufacturing platform for polymer-based solid-state lighting, opening new global markets. This matters because lighting accounts for a substantial share of electricity use; more efficient, longer-lasting, and cheaper-to-produce lights could reduce energy demand and cut reliance on scarce materials like indium.