
PPG Wins Grant to Develop New Glass Technology
for OLED Lighting
January 27, 2010
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded PPG Industries
a $1.6 million grant for the development of a low-cost glass substrate
to promote the commercialization and mass production of organic
light-emitting diode (OLED) lighting.
OLEDs are made from organic materials that emit light when an electrical
current is passed through them. As part of the DOE grant, PPG researchers
will develop a coated glass substrate that is less expensive and
better suited to the requirements of OLED lighting devices than
existing materials, enabling less expensive OLEDs that produce more
light with less energy, according to the company announcement.
Victoria M. Holt, PPG senior vice president, glass and fiber glass,
says PPG was selected for its technical expertise in glass, coatings
and optical products. "The ultimate goal of the DOE is to reduce
costs and energy use associated with lighting in the United States,"
she says. "PPG will help make that possible by integrating
OLED technology with compatible glass and coating technologies we
already have in place."
Mehran Arbab, PPG director of research and technology, glass and
fiber glass, says there are two PPG technologies well-suited to
OLEDs. "Transparent conductive coatings and optical coatings
are strong technology platforms for us. We use them to serve the
solar, aerospace and architectural markets. This grant will enable
us to refine them for more effective and affordable application
to OLED lighting manufacture," he explains.
Universal Display Corp. (UDC) will work with PPG as a project subcontractor.
UDC, which received a related $4 million grant for a U.S.-based
OLED lighting panel pilot manufacturing facility, will build, test
and help evaluate OLED devices engineered for the PPG substrate.
PPG has partnered with UDC for nearly ten years to develop and commercialize
proprietary phosphorescent OLED materials.
The DOE estimates that lighting for buildings accounts for more
than 20 percent of U.S. energy use. Over the next 20 years, the
agency estimates that widespread adoption of LED and OLED lighting
could reduce electricity demands 60 percent and prevent almost 260
metric tons of carbon emission.
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