Flexible polymeric light emitting/charge storage device and system
A light emitting/charge storage device is disclosed. The light emitting/charge storage device includes an organic light emitting diode (OLED) portion and at least one charge storage portion electrically and physically connected therewith. The OLED portion includes a first anode layer, a first cathode layer, and an electroluminescent layer disposed at least partially between the first anode layer and the first cathode layer. The at least one charge storage portion includes a second anode layer, a second cathode layer, and an ionic polymer dielectric layer disposed at least partially between the second anode layer and the second cathode layer, and/or a thin film battery layer. A light emitting/charge storage system is also disclosed. Certain embodiments of the device and system of the invention may provide integrated illumination and charge storage in a unitary stacked layered structure with flexible mechanical characteristics.
1. A light emitting/charge storage device comprising:
an organic light emitting diode (OLED) portion, comprising:
a first anode layer and a first cathode layer; and
an electroluminescent layer disposed at least partially between the first anode layer and the first cathode layer;
at least one polymeric charge storage portion electrically and physically connected with the OLED portion, the at least one polymeric charge storage portion comprising:
a second anode layer and a second cathode layer; and
an ionic polymer dielectric layer disposed at least partially between the second anode layer and the second cathode layer.
2. The light emitting/charge storage device according to claim 1 , wherein the OLED portion is disposed at least partially on top of the at least one thin-film polymeric charge storage portion.
3. The light emitting/charge storage device according to claim 1 , wherein the OLED portion further comprises at least one of: a hole transport layer and a hole injection layer disposed at least partially between the electroluminescent layer and the first anode layer.
4. The light emitting/charge storage device according to claim 1 , wherein light emitting/charge storage device is mechanically flexible in at least one direction.
5. The light emitting/charge storage device according to claim 1 , wherein the OLED portion further comprises an electron transport layer disposed at least partially between the electroluminescent layer and the first cathode layer.
6. The light emitting/charge storage device according to claim 1 , wherein the OLED portion further comprises an insulating layer disposed at least partially on top of the first cathode layer.
7. The light emitting/charge storage device according to claim 1 , wherein the OLED portion further comprises a substrate layer, the first anode layer being disposed at least partially on top of the substrate layer.
8. The light emitting/charge storage device according to claim 1 further comprising an insulating layer disposed at least partially on top of the second anode layer.
9. The light emitting/charge storage device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one polymeric charge storage portion comprises two or more thereof electrically connected to each other.
10. The light emitting/charge storage device according to claim 9 , wherein the two or more polymeric charge storage portions are stacked substantially on top of each other.
11. The light emitting/charge storage device according to claim 10 , further comprising an insulating layer disposed at least partially between the two or more polymeric charge storage portions.
12. The light emitting/charge storage device according to claim 1 , wherein the OLED portion and the at least one polymeric charge storage portion are electrically connected to each other through one or more patterned conductive vias.
13. The light emitting/charge storage device according to claim 1 , wherein the OLED portion and the at least one polymeric charge storage portion are electrically connected to each other through one or more printed electrical interconnects.
14. A light emitting/charge storage system comprising:
a thin-film layered organic light emitting diode (OLED) portion;
a thin-film layered charge storage portion electrically and physically connected with the thin-film layered OLED portion; and
circuitry for providing one or more of: energy recharge, power regulation and system control functionality to the at least one thin-film layered charge storage portion.
15. The light emitting/charge storage system according to claim 14 , wherein the circuitry comprises at least one of: thin-film transistor layers, unpackaged chips, and packaged modules integrated with one or more of the thin-film layered OLED portion and thin-film layered charge storage portion.
16. The light emitting/charge storage system according to claim 15 , wherein at least a portion of the system is encapsulated in an encapsulant.
17. The light emitting/charge storage system according to claim 16 , wherein the encapsulant comprises at least one material selected from the list comprising: polymers, thermoplastics, thermosets and elastomers.
18. The light emitting/charge storage system according to claim 16 , wherein the encapsulant is mechanically flexible in at least one direction.
19. The light emitting/charge storage system according to claim 14 , wherein the thin-film layered charge storage portion comprises a polymeric capacitor, comprising:
an anode layer;
a cathode layer; and
an ionic polymer dielectric layer disposed at least partially between the anode layer and the cathode layer.
20. The light emitting/charge storage system according to claim 14 , wherein the thin-film layered charge storage portion comprises a thin film battery.