Partial Self-Healing Flexible Light-Emitting Diode Based on InGaN/GaN microwires

Abstract

Self-healing materials are a promising for novel applications in next-generation displays. In this paper, the first implementation of self-healing light-emitting devices based on the array of III–nitride microwires is demonstrated. The novel design integrates blue-emitting core-shell InGaN/GaN microwires embedded into a typical polydimethysiloxane matrix with flexible electrodes. The electrodes are composed of aerosol deposited single-walled carbon nanotubes pads on a self-healing silicone based on the “siloxane equilibrium”. Self-healing light-emitting diodes are able to partially restore their functionality after the full mechanical damage (cross cut) in terms of electrical and light-emitting properties. Additionally, the electrical stability was confirmed by bending tests of the self-healing electrode and device as well: healed at 100 °C SWCNT-based electrode remains stable at ≈3.1 mA up to 1000 cycles, which confirms its mechanical stability under cyclic bending. Such damage-resilient LEDs represent a significant step towards robust and long-lasting flexible optoelectronic devices that are resistant to mechanical impacts.