Korean scientists have developed NTS technology for large-format transparent OLED screens, which can reduce their cost by 10 times compared to existing solutions. The new technology is based on the use of titanium dioxide nanoparticles evenly distributed over an ultra-thin film.
The technology of transparent OLED screens has come a long way since the first prototypes appeared, but the high cost of production is holding back their mass distribution. According to New Atlas, a team from the Nanolithography and Manufacturing Research Center of the Korea Institute of Mechanical Engineering and Materials has introduced NTS (Nano Transparent Screen) technology, which promises to change the state of affairs.
NTS is based on the uniform distribution of titanium dioxide nanoparticles with a diameter of 100 nanometers over the entire surface of the film. This film, according to the developers, is “as thin as human hair”, and an image is projected onto it using a high-resolution projector. Thanks to this, a high quality picture with a large viewing angle of 170 degrees is achieved. An additional polymer film with liquid crystal can adjust the opacity of the background, improving the clarity of the image under bright lighting conditions.
It is interesting that NTS technology is not afraid of extreme temperatures and aggressive weather conditions, which opens up wide application prospects. For example, shop windows, smart windows, external and internal advertising – here are just some of the possible usage scenarios. Developers have already managed to demonstrate the capabilities of the technology in practice by installing a transparent screen in the Youth Mall in Konju (a city in South Korea).
Today, the cost of a typical 100-inch transparent OLED screen is more than 72 thousand US dollars, which makes it inaccessible to a wide range of consumers, and cheaper transparent LED screens have not gained popularity due to too low resolution. The capabilities of NTS promise to solve this problem by offering mass production of screens at a price 10 times lower than that of OLED analogues.
« Nanotransparent screen production technology – is an advanced, innovative technology created by combining nanomaterials and nanomanufacturing technology with existing IT technologies , – says project manager Jun-Ho Jeon. – In the future, we will focus on research and development to continuously improve the quality of NTS to become the first to popularize transparent screens ».
In addition to the affordable price, Nano Transparent Screen promises flexibility and scalability. The developers claim that it will not be difficult to create transparent screens larger than 100 inches in the future. Currently, work on the commercialization of the technology has already begun.