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Huntsman wins JEC Asia Innovation Award 2010 for Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEE)

Patricia Albisser 19/10/2010

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The world’s first integrated thin film encapsulated flexible Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) application, developed by Huntsman Advanced Materials, has won the JEC Asia Innovation Award for Electrical and Electronics Engineering (EEE) at the JEC show in Singapore, Asia. This new technology, with its ability to provide an unprecedented level of protection for OLEDs without sacrificing their electrical performance offers major benefits to the mass transportation, design, architecture and signage sectors.

Won in collaboration with Holst Centre and the ORECA Group, the award recognises the successful integration of OLEDs in the composite structure of the rear view mirrors used on the ORECA 01 racing car, which recently came first among the petrol-powered cars in this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. This one shot process was developed by Huntsman and then applied by ORECA’s specialists to the manufacture of the rear view mirrors.

OLEDs are paper-thin, flexible and lightweight devices that consume up to 70% less energy compared to conventional light sources. OLEDs also provide brighter, crisper displays than conventional light-emitting diodes (LEDs) or liquid-crystal displays (LCDs), making them prime candidates for the next generation of lighting.

For flexible OLED lighting and signage devices to be commercialised, some important research challenges need to be solved. To use OLEDs on the ORECA 01 there was one critical step to overcome. OLEDs are sensitive to moisture and oxygen and require protection from these to maintain a long lifetime. High-performance, thin-barrier coatings developed by Huntsman and now considered as state-of-the-art, provided the right level of protection. The integration of OLEDs into the composite structure of the rear view mirrors is dependent on the encapsulation technology and Araldite® composite materials.

André Genton, President of Huntsman Advanced Materials, said: “I am delighted for everyone in the team who has worked so hard to bring the world’s first OLED application to life. It’s especially pleasing for us to see our innovative chemistries providing solutions to the issues that affect us all, such as the global requirement for saving energy and creating better energy efficiencies. OLEDs can now be considered as a genuine alternative to traditional light sources and we are honoured to be at the forefront in shaping the future of next generation lighting applications.”

Pierre Seze, Composite Department Manager at ORECA added: “The integration of the OLED system in the carbon fibre composite creates several advantages for our race car. Due to its lightweight, the performance of the rear view mirror isn’t compromised and there are no mechanical issues associated with the OLEDs. This technology fits perfectly with the extremely demanding conditions of an endurance race such as Le Mans and we are extremely proud to be involved in the OLED project.”

Ton van Mol, Programme Manager of Flexible OLED Lighting and Signage at Holst Centre added: “We are very proud to see our technology successfully applied in this ambitious and prestigious project. Because of the harsh conditions, applications in automotive are always very demanding for the technologies that are used. Racing teams like ORECA raise the bar even higher and the results of this integration project will be very valuable in our further research.”

The OLED itself displays the Araldite® logo, a brand which belongs to Huntsman, and was provided by Holst Centre, a Dutch open-innovation initiative by imec (B) and TNO (NL). The joint collaboration between Huntsman and Holst Centre for the development of high-performance, thin-barrier coatings for OLEDs falls within the remit of the ‘Fast2Light consortium’. This consortium develops large-area deposition processes for fabricating cost-effective, roll-to-roll light-emitting OLED foils.

In the field of encapsulation technology and moist barriers for flexible electronic devices, Huntsman and its partners are among the few companies able to make flexible OLED lighting and signage devices.

For further information please contact;

Carole Lai
Marcom Program Manager – AP
Huntsman Advanced Materials (HK) Ltd.
Room 08-11, Tower 1, Millennium City 1,
No. 388 Kwun Tong Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong.
Tel: 00852 2148 8882
Fax: 00852 2345 0294

E-mail: carole_lai@huntsman.com