Kyulux, a spin-out from Kyushu University, has announced plans to put organic electroluminescent materials into commercial production. The company aims to have a viable product ready for use in TV and smartphone screens by 2018.
The company has already obtained the necessary patent rights from the university and raised JPY 1.5 billion (US$ 13 million) in funding provided by the university startup investor QB Fund and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.
With the the funding Kyulux plans to hire several new researchers and ramp up R&D.
Organic electroluminescent materials are materials that generate their own light, and if they can be commercialised, they could reduce power consumption; however, many of these materials are expensive rare metals.
The technology that Kyulux has obtained from Kyushu University would generate electroluminescence from inexpensive compounds of carbon, hydrogen and other elements, and should be cheaper.
Original news Nikkei Shimbun 25/2/2016