Polish breakthrough in OLED! Noctiluca from Toruń has developed a material that could revolutionize the screens of the future

Will the solution to the problem that the OLED industry has been struggling with for years come from Poland? The company Noctiluca from Toruń has presented the results of research on the new material NCEIL-4 – and it looks like this could be a real game changer for the future of screens.

NCEIL-4: response to the biggest challenge of OLEDs?

For decades, one of the biggest problems in OLED technology has remained blue light emitters. Their short lifespan and low energy efficiency pose a bottleneck for further development of this technology. Most manufacturers still rely on outdated, first-generation solutions that date back to the 2000s.

Instead of following the beaten path and designing another blue emitter, Noctiluca chose to look at the very structure of OLEDs. The focus was on optimizing the emission layer (the one responsible for light production), and the result of this work is a new material – NCEIL-4, which acts as the electron-injecting layer. In tests conducted in South Korea, it showed impressive results: up to 15 times longer lifespan of blue pixels and noticeably lower energy consumption.

How does it work?

NCEIL-4 replaces the commonly used compound Liq (8-Quinolinolato lithium) and exhibits significantly better properties:

• Reduces the barrier for charge injection

• Reduces operating voltage

• Increases quantum and current efficiency

• Does not affect the light spectrum – preserves full color quality

Moreover, the material can be applied using both vacuum deposition (PVD) and InkJet printing methods, making it a more versatile solution for various production lines.

Not Just TVs

NCEIL-4 is not just the future of screens. The material also shows potential in other organic technologies:

• OPV solar cells,

• OFET field-effect transistors,

• and even in applications such as document security or modern lighting.

From Toruń to the Global Top

Noctiluca is not a garage startup. The company debuted on the NewConnect market in 2022, and by December 2024, it moved to the main floor of the GPW. Since then, it has been growing dynamically – it opened a modern laboratory in Toruń, created an R&D team in Korea, and established partnerships with top institutes in Germany and Taiwan (ITRI).

Today, Noctiluca collaborates with 8 out of the 10 largest screen manufacturers in the world, as well as with companies like:

• the largest Chinese telecommunications equipment manufacturer,

• a Swiss premium watch manufacturer,

• a leading American consumer electronics brand. (Probably Apple but we don't know for sure 😉)

Plans? Even More Ambitious

The company plans to invest 2-3 million dollars this year in the development of engineering and device physics competencies in Poland. It also wants to create a European research center for chemicals for OLEDs and become the leader of the OLED revolution in Europe.

The significance of this announcement cannot be overstated. If NCEIL-4 actually delivers on its promises for mass production, it could not only revolutionize OLEDs, but also make Poland one of the key players in the global technological race. And all indications are that this is just the beginning.

Source: Display Daily