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Updated: May 14, 2026
Planar and Three-Dimensional Printing of Conductive Inks
Published on: December 9, 2011
Direct-Write Printed Flexible, Transparent, Multicolor Electroluminescent Display with Alternating-Current
Mingchang Yang1, Chenxi Li1, Huijuan Ni1
1Key Laboratory of Pulp and Paper Science & Technology of Ministry of Education, State Key Laboratory of Green Papermaking and Resource Recycling, Faculty of Light Industry, Qilu University of Technology (Shandong Academy of Sciences), Jinan 250353, China.
Abstract:
Flexible, transparent, multicolor electroluminescent (EL) systems emerge as crucial components for next-generation wearable displays, yet challenges persist in achieving high transparency, flexibility, and precise color control. Traditional fabrication techniques for alternating-current electroluminescent (ACEL) displays encounter persistent challenges related to low transparency, limited brightness, and insufficient precision. This study presents a ZnS/polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)-ACEL ink with ZnS:Cu (Cu: 1.5 wt %, green emission), ZnS:Cu (Cu: 0.3 wt %, blue emission), and ZnS:Mn (Mn, orange emission). Through optimized ink formulation and printing parameter adjustments, flexible, transparent single-color (green) and multicolor (orange, green, and blue) EL displays are successfully fabricated. The resulting flexible, transparent, multicolor display demonstrates exceptional bending stability (20000 cycles), excellent optical transparency, and superior EL intensity. Comprehensive mechanical and electrical analyses confirm robust performance under dynamic deformation, revealing significant potential for wearable electronics and human-machine interaction. The flexible, transparent, multicolor EL display is used for the navigation symbol display on the intelligent window of a vehicle and the heart rate alarm display of the wearable device. The approach proposed in this work opens up an effective path for realizing a flexible, transparent, multicolor display.
