A breakthrough in LED technology holds out the promise of light sources with a significantly lower environmental impact and lower use of materials such as lead, gold, mercury and cyanide.
A team of researchers from Linköping University in Sweden has developed a new generation of perovskite-based LEDs which it says could transform the lighting market.
The production of conventional LED light sources depends on expensive and polluting materials.
Perovskite LEDs are cheaper to manufacture, require fewer resources, and can offer more vibrant colours, say the scientists.
‘The development of these LEDs marks the beginning of a new era in lighting technology,’ explained Feng Gao, a professor of optoelectronics at Linköping University.
To assess the environmental impact of this technology, researchers analysed 18 types of perovskite LEDs through life cycle studies and techno-economic evaluation.
This allowed them to measure the cost and ecological footprint of the materials used, from production to product dismantling.
One of the main challenges is the use of lead, a toxic material necessary for perovskite efficiency.
However, the scientists say that this is not the only issue. ‘The production of gold, used in LED manufacturing, is highly polluting, with byproducts such as mercury and cyanide,’ explained Olof Hjelm, a researcher on the team.
To reduce the environmental impact, experts suggest replacing gold with copper, aluminium, or nickel, more accessible and less polluting materials.
However a challenge facing commercial adoption is that perovskite LEDs still have a limited lifespan. Currently, they can operate for hundreds of hours, but to be competitive and truly sustainable, they must exceed 10,000 hours of durability.
The research team is confident that advances in materials and production techniques could optimise this technology in the coming years.
Perovskite is also exciting technologists in the solar panel industry, where it is being developed to produce more efficient photovoltaic panels.
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