Three approaches toward energy-harvesting displays.
Researchers from the Institute of Science Tokyo and University of Osaka designed an organic semiconductor device that can both generate electricity from light and emit bright visible light.
The researchers used two multiple-resonance thermally activated delayed fluorescence (MR-TADF) molecules, v-DABNA and QAO, in a simple layered structure. Their device achieved 1.36% power-conversion efficiency and 2% light-emission efficiency simultaneously. It emitted bright red light with a luminance of 1,000 cd/m2, matching the brightness of commercial smartphone displays. The device operated at 3.2 volts, making it compatible with standard lithium-ion batteries, and achieved an open-circuit voltage close to the theoretical limit.
“Organic devices can be fabricated as lightweight, mechanically flexible, and even semitransparent films, making them highly attractive for applications such as window-integrated photovoltaics, wearable and skin-mounted electronics, and conformable display sensor systems, all of which require form factors that are difficult to realize using rigid materials,” said Seiichiro Izawa, associate professor in the Materials and Structures Laboratory, Institute of Integrated Research, Science Tokyo. [1]
Researchers from the University of Colorado Boulder and University of Science and Technology of China designed a perovskite diode that can harvest ambient light when it is not in active use.
The approach embeds micrometer-sized alumina nanoparticle islands within the perovskite, creating a porous sponge-like structure that redirects light and enables it to escape without interrupting the charge transport the device depends on.
The diodes converted sunlight to electricity at 26.7% efficiency and emitted light at 31% efficiency, and retained 95% of their initial solar cell efficiency after 1,200 hours of continuous operation. [2]
Researchers from Chiba University, NHK Science & Technology Research Laboratories, and Kyoto University developed multifunctional organic semiconductor devices that can act as both electronic displays and solar cells.
The team’s approach centered on precisely controlling the energy state of the excitons using MR-TADF materials, creating electron donor/acceptor interfaces that yielded low exciton binding energy values. This also enabled the researchers to adjust emission color from yellow to blue, providing full-color operation across the visible spectrum. The researchers said this was the first multifunctional power-generating blue OLED reported.
“Considering the 44% intrinsic emission efficiency of the green emitter and roughly 20% light-extraction efficiency, the obtained 8.5% emission efficiency indicates performance close to the theoretical limit, with virtually no electrical loss,” said Hirohiko Fukagawa, a professor at Chiba University. “By integrating energy harvesting directly into light-emitting surfaces, we can create electronics that are far more energy efficient and convenient for users. We envision a shift from single-function components to integrated all-in-one films. This could enable the widespread adoption of battery-less sensors and wearable electronics that operate autonomously by harvesting light.” [3]
[1] Q.-J. Shui, N. Aizawa, J .Xu, et al. Highly-Emissive Organic Photovoltaics Approaching Theoretical Limit Voltage and Enabling Multifunctional Energy-Harvesting Displays. Advanced Materials (2026): e72995. https://doi.org/10.1002/adma.72995
[2] K. Mao, F. Cai, R. DeCrescent, et al. Passivated porous light-management structure resolves emission-photovoltaic trade-off in thick perovskite diodes. Joule, 2026; 0 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joule.2026.102389
[3] T. Oono, Y. Aoki, T. Sasaki, et al. A pathway to coexistence of electroluminescence and photovoltaic conversion in organic devices. Nat Commun 17, 694 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-67332-0
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