packaging and clothes could display electronic information such as this warning on yoghurt not to eat it. Thin, flexible devices may allow lighting and electronic display screens to be created - for the first time - on almost any material. 让电子标志随处可见 包装袋和衣服上或许也可以显示电子信息，比如在酸乳酪的包装袋上会有“禁止食用”这样的电子标志。这种装置轻薄、柔软的特性将使光电显示屏的首次诞生成为可能。它可以负载于任何材料上。
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A MASSIVE change in the way we design clothes and light our homes could come about with the use of a thin film of plastic that conducts electricity and produces solar power.
An international research project has begun that could help bring to mass-market organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) that could have far-reaching technological implications and cut the cost of lighting by billion of dollars each year.
The devices are thin and flexible allowing lighting and electronic display screens to be created - for the first time - on almost any material, meaning that even clothes and packaging could display electronic information.
These super-OLEDs could warn if the food in your refrigerator is still good to eat. And at an emergency, the jacket of a police officer, ambulance crew or fire-fighter could flash warnings or directions to anyone nearby or passing.
The use of such devices could vary from lighting that is many times more efficient than today’s light-bulbs - to clothes whose colour can be changed at will, and drinks cans that display the latest sports results.
At present the devices are used as displays in some mobile phones and MP3 players but they are not reliable enough for larger screens such as in TVs and computers because they stop working after a few months.
Now, an international consortium of researchers, led by the University of Bath in the United Kingdom, has begun a three-year project costing 850,000 pounds to put the science behind the devices on a firmer basis, therefore helping make them efficient enough to be worth producing for the mass market.
The consortium is called Modecom and consists of 13 groups from nine universities and two companies. Three groups are from the UK, six from the United States, and one each from China, Belgium, Italy and Denmark. The European Union is funding the partners from Europe and China.
“The devices exploit a discovery made about 15 years ago that revealed some polymers have the unusual property of either turning electricity into light, or light into electricity, depending on how the devices are made,” said a spokesman.
“Because these polymers are thin and flexible, they could be used in many ways, such as a transparent window. This appears to be a conventional window during the day but when it gets dark, a switch is turned on and the entire window area emits light in a more efficient way than conventional or energy-saving bulbs, promising huge savings.”
Furthermore, clothing could display strips of the polymer that run off solar power, allowing electronic messages to be displayed and that can be updated. This could be useful for the emergency services.
The OLEDs could be used also:
* in packaging for common goods that could be made to display electronic messages such as health warnings and recipes, or could emit light;
* as a source of solar power to top up mobile phone batteries;
* as lightweight, solar power sources that could be rolled up and stored and which would also be ideal for people requiring electricity in remote locations, on land or sea.
The consortium is coordinated by Dr Alison Walker, of Bath University’s Department of Physics, who said: “This is a long-term project, and the contributions of many scientists are needed for its success. The experimentalists make measurements to test the efficiency of the devices, but it is hard to get a clear picture of what is going on at present.
“This project is about making that picture clearer [by] using computer models to develop the theory. Success in achieving the goals of cheap, efficient and long-lasting devices is essential because we must do everything we can to reduce our energy costs,” added Dr Walker.
The polymer is made from chains of molecules and is called organic because these contain carbon. Electrons and holes injected into the polymer film form bound states called excitons that break down under electrical current, emitting light as they do so.
Dr Walker’s part of the consortium’s research uses a mathematical technique called Monte Carlo analysis in which computer-generated random numbers are used to plot the paths of electrons, holes and excitons as they move across the film.
The results from this can be used to calculate how the chemical structure and impurities affect the device’s performance. Chemists can use this data to design more efficient materials.
The Modecom consortium will work on the molecular level and also look at the workings of the device as a whole. This research will also aid the understanding of the polymer materials used in plastic electronics in applications such as electronic paper and intelligent labels on groceries.
Bath is one of the UK’s leading universities, with an international reputation for quality research and teaching. The university has strong links with its community, offering its facilities, business acumen and academic expertise to people and businesses.
随着可以导电和产生太阳能的塑料薄膜的普及，服装设计和家居照明也将迎来一场彻底的变革。
目前，一项国际研发计划已经开始实施，该计划旨在促进有机发光器件的大市场化。这是一项具有深远科学内涵的工程，将使照明成本每年缩减十亿美元。
这种装置轻薄而又柔软的特性将使光电显示屏的首次诞生成为可能，它可以负载于任何材料上，这意味着即使是在衣服和包装袋上也可以显示电子信息。
这些超级有机发光二极管将提示你冰箱里的东西是否依然可以安全食用。或者遭遇突发情况的时候，警员、救护队或消防员的制服上会出现安全警告的提示，为附近或过路人流指示安全方位。
这种发光器件用于照明，其功效要比目前传统的灯泡高出许多倍。将它安装在衣服上，衣服的颜色可以随意变换。安装在饮料瓶上，会让你了解到最新的体育快讯。
目前，有机发光二极管仅被用于某些手机和MP３的显示屏幕，但如果把他们用在彩电和电脑等大屏幕显示器上，他们的寿命只有几个月。
目前 ，由英国巴斯大学牵头的一个国际研究员联盟已经开始实施一项为期三年、投资额为85万英镑的科研计划，该计划旨在开发有关发光二极管运用领域更加坚实的理论支撑，确保能源的高效利用，从而使这种器件实现大市场化变得有意义。
这个被称为Modecom的团队由13个小组组成，来自9所大学和2家公司。3个小组来自英国，6个来自美国，中国、比利时、意大利和丹麦各有一个小组加入。欧盟资助了欧洲和中国的小组。
一位发言人表示：“有机发光二极管的开发源自15年前发现的一些聚合物的特殊性质，即根据装置的不同设计，这些聚合物能把电流转化成光，或把光转化为电流。因为这些聚合物具有轻薄和柔软的特性，他们可以有一系列的应用，比如透明窗户，白天它看起来像一个普通的窗户，但是当天黑了，只要打开开关，整个窗户就会发光，而且比传统灯泡或节能灯泡更有效，更省钱。”
在衣服上配上太阳能转化聚合物，使其显示电子信息并及时更新内容。这还可以用在紧急救护服务当中。
有机发光二级管（OLED）还可以有以下几方面的应用：
*用于普通物品的包装物上，使其显示电子信息，如健康忠告及用法，或者还可以发光
*作为太能能电源为手机电池充电
*作为轻便的太阳能电源可以卷起储存，可以满足在边远地区使用电力的需求，不管在陆地还是航海。
这个团队由巴斯大学的物理系教授Alison Walker协调。他说：“这是一个长期的项目，凝结众多科研人员的贡献，我们期望它的成功。尽管实验主义者采用各种方法测试这种器件的有效性，但是直至目前还很难得出一个清晰的结论。”
Walker继续补充道：“该项目将通过运用计算机模型来进行理论上的研究，我们要想尽一切办法来降低能源成本，因而，设计出这样一种廉价、高效、耐用的器件势在必得。”
这些聚合体由分子链组成，因为含有碳元素，故称之为有机物。电子和空穴注入高分子膜所形成的界态称为电子空穴对，电子空穴对冲破电流的阻碍，于是便产生了光。
Walker教授所研究的部分所使用的数学技术叫做蒙特卡罗分析方法，通过计算机所产生的随机数，模拟电子、空穴和电子空穴对在薄膜中的运动轨迹。
这样的结果可以用来计算化学结构和杂质对器件性能的影像。化学家可以利用这个数据设计出更有效率的材料。
Modecom团队将在分子水平上进行研究，观察整个器件的性能。这些研究也将有助于更好地了解用于塑料电子应用的高分子材料，例如电子纸张和智能杂货标签。
巴斯大学是英国重点大学之一，因其品质研究与教学而享有很高的声誉。巴斯大学与该研究团体有牢固的联系，负责为其提供设备、商业才干、理论专员以及专业的商业机构。
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