1 Feb 2018
LMU is a partner in a new research network which will explore the use of nanocrystals as the basis for environmentally friendly materials for the manufacture of innovative electronic light sources.
LMU is one of the partners in the project “Exploiting the Properties of Quantum Materials – New Routes to Innovative Optoelectronic Components” (ELQ-LED), which will also involve the companies Merck and OSRAM OLED. Financial support comes from the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). The primary goal of the project is to develop environmentally friendly nanocrystals for use in innovative lighting and display technologies. The substances investigated so far mostly contain either cadmium or lead, metals whose toxicity sharply limits the range of applications for which they can be safely used. This problem can in principle be avoided by utilizing quantum materials made up of non-toxic compounds.
LMU’s contribution to the project will be led by Professor Jochen Feldmann and Dr. Alexander Urban at the Institute of Photonics and Optoelectronics. Both have long been engaged in investigations of the optical properties of quantum materials, for which they have received research grants from the EU (ERC Advanced Grant) and the State of Bavaria (SolTech) in particular. “Our work on nanocrystals has already led to the formation of a spin-off company in the area of biotechnology,” Feldmann says. “In the new project we will work in close collaboration with established industrial firms to gain a better understanding of the physical properties of nanocrystals containing non-toxic chemicals, with a view to using them as the basis of highly efficient and environmentally innocuous displays and lighting elements.”
Altogether 9.1 million euros will be invested for running this 3-year project.