Bendable computer screens within reach

Engineers at the University of Toronto’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering are making good headway in the development of bendable television, computer and cellphone screens.
The team led by Professor Zheng-Hong Lu are the first to construct flexible organic light emitting devices or FOLED’s.
Whereas today’s flat panel displays are made of heavy, inflexible glass, Lu’s team developed FOLEDS made on a variety of lightweight flexible materials ranging from transparent plastic films to reflective metal foils that can roll or bend into any shape.
Professor Lu says “It opens up a whole new range of possibilities for the future. Imagine a room with electronic wallpaper programmed to display a series of Van Gogh paintings, or a reusable electronic newspaper that could download and display the day’s news and be rolled up after use.”
Lu’s team is already commercializing some related technology and hopes to have a marketable device within two or three years.
View a video of the flexible substrate at www.nit.utoronto.ca/news/o3_foled.avi