Optical Performance and Moisture Stability Enhancement of Flexible Luminescent Films Based on Quantum-Dot/Epoxy Composite Particles

Quantum dots (QDs) have been widely applied in luminescent sources due to their strong optical characteristics. However, a moisture environment causes their quenching, leading to an inferior optical performance in commercial applications. In this study, based on the high moisture resistance of epoxy resin, a novel epoxy/QDs composite particle structure was proposed to solve this issue. Flexible luminescent films could be obtained by packaging composite particles in silicone resin, combining the hydrophobicity of epoxy resin and the flexibility of PDMS simultaneously. The photoluminescence and light extraction were improved due to the scattering properties of the structure of composite particles, which was caused by the refractive index mismatch between the epoxy and silicone resin. Compared to the QD/silicone film under similar lighting conditions, the proposed flexible film demonstrated increased light efficiency as well as high moisture stability. The results revealed that a light-emitting diode (LED) device using the composite particle flexible (CPF) structure obtained a 34.2% performance enhancement in luminous efficiency as well as a 32% improvement in color conversion efficiency compared to those of devices with QD/silicone film (QSF) structure. Furthermore, the CPF structure exhibited strong thermal and moisture stability against extreme ambient conditions of 85 degrees C and 85% relative humidity simultaneously. The normalized luminous flux degradation of devices embedded in CPF and QSF structures after aging for 118 h were similar to 20.2% and similar to 43.8%, respectively. The satisfactory performance of the CPF structure in terms of optical and moisture stability shows its great potential value in flexible commercial QD-based LED displays and lighting applications.

Automated summary

A novel epoxy/QDs composite particle structure was proposed to solve the issue of decreased optical performance of quantum dots in a moisture environment. The flexible luminescent films obtained demonstrated improved photoluminescence and light extraction, with increased light efficiency and high moisture stability compared to traditional QD/silicone films. Additionally, the CPF structure showed strong thermal and moisture stability under extreme ambient conditions, indicating great potential value in flexible commercial QD-based LED displays and lighting applications.