Chihaya Adachi, a 2026 Citation Laureate, was first author of a 2001 paper on iridium-based OLEDs, then created TADF, which needs no rare metal. Yet iridium, mined at about 7 tonnes a year, is still in OLED screens.
University of Toyama researchers crystallized an OLED's emitting layer inside a practical thin-film stack: up to 1,000 times the current density at 1 volt, and turn-on at 1.33 V.
Researchers in Japan made a four-micrometer sphere of chiral polymer that lases in a flat ring, like Saturn. The molecules self-assembled into a surface swirl that gives the light a direction. A clear look at the first angle-selective lasing from a sphere, driven by its own surface chemistry.
Kyoto University's Takuji Hatakeyama and colleagues linked multiple-resonance units to reach a 5.5nm emission band in solution, pushing spontaneous emission toward laser-like color purity. Published in Science, it points to purer, more efficient next-gen displays.
A joint team from Chiba University, NHK Science & Technology Research Labs, and Kyoto University has developed an organic EL device capable of both light emission and solar power generation. Using innovative MR-TADF materials, they overcame the long-standing trade-off between emission and power conversion efficiency, achieving the world's first blue light-emitting power-generating device. Applications include self-powered displays and battery-free sensors.