Multilayer film for encapsulating oxygen and/or moisture sensitive electronic devices

1. A multilayer barrier film capable of encapsulating a moisture and/or oxygen sensitive electronic or optoelectronic device, said barrier film comprising:

at least one nanostructured layer comprising reactive nanoparticles capable of interacting with moisture and/or oxygen, and inert nanoparticles which do not interact with moisture and/or oxygen and which are adapted to obstruct the permeation of moisture and/or oxygen, said reactive nanoparticles and inert nanoparticles being distributed within a polymeric binder, and

at least one ultraviolet light neutralizing layer comprising a material capable of absorbing ultraviolet light selected from the group consisting of 4-methylbenzylidene camphor, isoamyl p-methoxycinnamate, 2-hydroxyphenyl benzotriazole, 2-hydroxy-benzophenone, 2-hydroxy-phenyltriazine and oxalanilide, thereby limiting the transmission of ultraviolet light through the barrier film,

wherein an ultraviolet light neutralizing layer of the at least one ultraviolet light neutralizing layer is formed on the electronic or optoelectronic device, and a nanostructured layer of the at least one nanostructured layer is formed on the ultraviolet light neutralizing layer, and

wherein the multilayer barrier film does not comprise an inorganic layer.

2. The barrier film of claim 1 , wherein the reactive nanoparticles are capable of interacting with moisture and/or oxygen through chemical reaction.

3. The barrier film of claim 2 , wherein the reactive nanoparticles comprise a material selected from the group consisting of metals, metal oxides and mixtures thereof.

4. The barrier film of claim 3 , wherein the reactive nanoparticles comprise a metal selected from the group consisting of Al, Ti, Mg, Ba Ca, and mixtures thereof.

5. The barrier film of claim 3 , wherein the reactive nanoparticles comprise a metal oxide selected from the group consisting of TiO 2 , Al 2 O 3 , ZrO 2 , ZnO, BaO, SrO, CaO and MgO, VO 2 , CrO 2 , MoO 2 , LiMn 2 O 4 , cadmium stannate (Cd 2 SnO 4 ), cadmium indate (CdIn 2 O 4 ), zinc stannate (Zn 2 SnO 4 and ZnSnO 3 ), zinc indium oxide (Zn 2 In 2 O 5 ) and mixtures thereof.

6. The barrier film of claim 1 , wherein the reactive nanoparticles are capable of interacting with moisture and/or oxygen through adsorption.

7. The barrier film of claim 6 , wherein the reactive nanoparticles comprise carbon nanotubes.

8. The barrier film of claim 1 , wherein the nanostructured layer comprises both carbon nanotubes and reactive metal oxide nanoparticles, the amount of metal oxide nanoparticles present being between 500 to 15000 times (by weight) the quantity of carbon nanotubes present.

9. The barrier film of claim 1 , wherein when the oxygen and/or moisture sensitive electronic device comprises an organic light emitting device, the average size of the reactive nanoparticles is less than one-half the characteristic wavelength of light produced by the organic light emitting device.

10. The barrier film of claim 1 , wherein the at least one nanostructured layer of the multilayer film comprises at least 2 types of reactive nanoparticles that are capable of interacting with moisture and/or oxygen.

11. The barrier film of claim 10 , wherein the multilayer film comprises a first nanostructured layer comprising reactive metal nanoparticles, and a second nanostructured layer comprising reactive metal oxide nanoparticles.

12. The barrier film of claim 11 , wherein the multilayer film comprises a plurality of said first and said second nanostructured layers arranged in alternating sequence in the multilayer film.

13. The barrier film of claim 10 , wherein the multilayer film comprises one nanostructured layer having distributed therein reactive metal nanoparticles and reactive metal oxide nanoparticles.

14. The barrier film of claim 1 , wherein the amount of reactive nanoparticles present in the nanostructured layer is between about 0.0000001% to about 50% by weight of monomers of the polymeric binder in the nanostructured layer.

15. The barrier film of claim 14 , wherein the polymeric binder comprises a material selected from the group consisting of polyacrylate, polymethacrylate, polyacrylamide, polyepoxide, parylene, polysiloxanes and polyurethane.

16. The barrier film of claim 1 , wherein the ultraviolet light neutralizing layer comprises reactive metal oxide nanoparticles distributed in a polymer layer.

17. The barrier film of claim 16 , wherein the reactive metal oxide nanoparticles being selected from the group consisting of hafnium dioxide (HfO 2 ), magnesium oxide (MgO), barium oxide (BaO), silicone oxide (SiO 2 ) titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ), tantalum oxide (Ta 2 O 5 ), cerium oxide (CeO 2 ), niobium oxide (Nb 2 O 5 ), zirconium oxide (ZrO 2 ), zinc oxide (ZnO) and mixtures thereof.

18. The barrier film of claim 1 , wherein the multilayer film further comprises an organic barrier layer.

19. The barrier film of claim 18 , wherein the barrier layer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of parylene, polyimide, polyacrylamide, polyamide, polyacetate, polypropylene, polyimide, poly(l-trimethylsilyl-1-propyne, poly(4-methyl-2-pentyne), polyethylene, polyethersulfone, epoxy resins, polyethylene terepthalate, polystyrene, polyurethane, polyacrylate, polydimethylphenylene oxide, styrene-divinylbenzene, and polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF).

20. The barrier film of claim 19 , further comprising a substrate for supporting the electronic device to be encapsulated, wherein the barrier film is formed on a surface of the substrate.

21. The barrier film of claim 1 , further comprising a terminal layer for protecting the multilayer barrier film.

22. The barrier film of claim 21 , wherein the terminal layer comprises a material selected from the group consisting of polypropylene and polycarbonate.

23. The barrier film of claim 22 , wherein the terminal layer has distributed therein particles comprising a material selected from the group consisting of BaF 2 , MgF 2 and CaF 2 .

24. The barrier film of claim 1 , wherein the inert nanoparticles are made of a material selected from the group consisting of copper, platinum, gold, silver; minerals, clays, wollastonite, mullite, montmorillonite; rare earth elements, silicate glass, fluorosilicate glass, fluoroborosilicate glass, aluminosilicate glass, calcium silicate glass, calcium aluminium silicate glass, calcium aluminium fluorosilicate glass, titanium carbide, zirconium carbide, zirconium nitride, silicon carbide, or silicon nitride, metal sulfides, mixtures and combinations thereof.

25. An encapsulated electronic device, comprising a base substrate having arranged thereon an electronic device, said electronic device being covered by an encapsulation for protecting the electronic device from moisture and/or oxygen, wherein the encapsulation comprises a barrier film of claim 1 .

26. The device of claim 25 , further comprising a secondary encapsulation comprising an adhesive layer arranged on the multilayer barrier film, and a cover substrate arranged on the adhesive layer.

27. The device of claim 26 , wherein the adhesive layer is selected from the group consisting of ethylene vinyl acetate resins, epoxy resins, polysulfide, silicone and polyurethane.

28. The device of claim 27 , wherein the cover substrate is selected from the group consisting of glass, indium tin oxide, nanocomposites laminated with an inorganic barrier film, and transparent plastics.

29. The device of claim 1 , wherein the electronic device is selected from the group consisting of an Organic Light Emitting Device (OLED), charged-coupled device (CCD), micro-electro-mechanical sensors (MEMS), and an organic or inorganic photovoltaic device which is based on a thin-film solar cell.

30. An organic electroluminescent (EL) panel comprising a plurality of encapsulated organic light emitting devices (OLEDs), said panel comprising:

a substrate having arranged thereon said plurality of encapsulated OLEDs, each encapsulated OLED comprising:

a base substrate having arranged thereon an OLED including a first electrode layer, an organic layer, and a second electrode layer;

said OLED being enclosed within a multilayer film according to claim 1 for protecting the OLED from moisture and/or oxygen.

31. An encapsulated photovoltaic device comprising: a moisture and/or oxygen sensitive photovoltaic device being sandwiched between two multilayer barrier films, each of the multilayer barrier films comprising:

at least one nanostructured layer comprising reactive nanoparticles capable of interacting with moisture and/or oxygen, and inert nanoparticles which do not interact with moisture and/or oxygen and which are adapted to obstruct the permeation of moisture and/or oxygen, said reactive nanoparticles and inert nanoparticles being distributed within a polymeric binder, and

at least one ultraviolet light neutralizing layer comprising a material capable of absorbing ultraviolet light selected from the group consisting of 4-methylbenzylidene camphor, isoamyl p-methoxycinnamate, 2-hydroxyphenyl benzotriazole, 2-hydroxy-benzophenone, 2-hydroxy-phenyltriazine and oxalanilide, thereby limiting the transmission of ultraviolet light through the barrier film, for protecting said photovoltaic device from moisture and/or oxygen;

wherein an ultraviolet light neutralizing layer of the at least one ultraviolet light neutralizing layer in each of said multilayer barrier films is formed on and attached to the photovoltaic device, and a nanostructured layer of the at least one nanostructured layer in each of said multilayer barrier films is formed on and attached to the ultraviolet light neutralizing layer, and

wherein the multilayer barrier films do not comprise an inorganic layer.