Display materials face a dilemma: if they shine brightly, they do not last long, and if they last long, performance drops. A Korean research team has found a way to solve this.
A team led by Lee Tae-woo, a professor in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Seoul National University, said on the 16th that, together with KAIST and the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, it developed a new technology that dramatically extends the lifespan of perovskite nanocrystals, an emitter for next-generation displays. The results were published the same day in the international journal Science and were selected as the cover paper.
Perovskite nanocrystals are materials that emit very vivid light and are considered advantageous over existing quantum dot emitters in color purity (how clean the color is), color gamut, price, light absorption, and power consumption. Quantum dots are semiconductor particles much smaller than the thickness of a human hair. But perovskites have a relatively soft ionic crystal lattice, making them vulnerable to heat and humidity and hard to use for long periods, a critical drawback.
Lee said in a phone interview with ChosunBiz, "Perovskites are known as materials widely used for solar cells, but because their crystal structure is based on ionic bonding like salt, they are weaker than silicon," and "when exposed to heat or light, the crystal lattice shakes, and defects form in the process or performance declines."
To address these weaknesses, the team devised a method of wrapping perovskite nanocrystals with multiple layers of protective shells. Lee said, "We successively coated the outside of the dice-shaped perovskite crystals with protective layers such as silica and polymers."
As a result, the protective shells interlocked well with the perovskite crystal lattice, restraining the crystal's movement and extending its lifespan. At the same time, they filled gaps on the nanocrystal surface, blocking pathways through which light could leak or the material could degrade quickly.
The external quantum yield (EQY) of the perovskite nanocrystals developed this time reached 91.4%. External quantum yield is the ratio of emitted light to input electricity and is used as an indicator of emission performance. They also endured more than 3,000 hours in hot and humid conditions.
Lee added, "Despite nearly 50 years of research on conventional phosphors including quantum dots, we could not increase the external quantum yield above 65%," and "this study pushed it to the theoretical limit."
Another strength of this material is that it enables ultra-high-resolution patterning. Patterning above 3,500 PPI (pixels per inch) is possible, making it suitable for Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) displays where pixel density is especially important. It also holds promise for expansion into wearables such as healthcare displays worn on the body, as well as ultra-high-definition TVs.
Lee said, "We confirmed that the technology can be commercialized by applying it to tablet displays, monitors, and 75-inch TVs." However, Lee added, "This time we showed that we can achieve high resolution," and "the goal is to refine the material and process to further improve lifespan and photoconversion efficiency, then apply it to AR and VR."
On the 15th, the team also announced display-related results in Nature. In that paper, the team demonstrated a flexible OLED that maintains performance even when stretched. The researchers designed a new emissive layer to efficiently convert charge to light, enhanced elasticity with thermoplastic polyurethane, and created electrodes that are transparent yet highly stretchable. As a result, the device retained most of its emission even when stretched to 1.6 times its original length.
Lee Tae-woo said, "The Science paper that achieved both efficiency and stability in perovskites, and the Nature paper that implemented an OLED maintaining high efficiency even when stretched, are each significant on their own," adding, "I hope this achievement, which solved global grand challenges simultaneously in one lab, will bolster the competitiveness of Korea's display technology."
References
Science (2026), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.ady1370
Nature (2026), DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-025-09904-0