A group of researchers hailing from the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences at Nanjing University recently showed off a creative display that is flexible and thin enough to be used as a temporary tattoo, meaning that it can be worn on the skin. The display has been named as ACEL display wherein ACEL stands for alternating-current electroluminescent.
Thanks to the ACEL display, things like having to check your stopwatch while running or trying to look at the screen of your smartphone to determine who is calling would soon be a thing of the past. The ACEL display is comprised of an electroluminescent layer that has been crafted using light-emitting microparticles, which have been sandwiched between two flexible silver nanowire electrodes.
The ACEL display is brighter than any other display because of the ceramic nanoparticles that have been embedded in the stretchable polymer. In fact, it is so bright that it remains clearly visible in an appreciably-lit room. The flexible ACEL displays are not new, but this particular one is so amazing since it can be worn on the skin without any risk. It is capable of creating bright light even when using low voltages and generates waste heat that remains under 45 degrees Celsius. The team is already working on lowering its working temperatures.
Professor Desheng Kong, who coordinated this project, said, ‘These so-called epidermal sensors may allow the continuous monitoring of heart rate, blood pressure, blood oxygen levels, and even glucose. The display will provide visual information on these metrics. These metrics are very important for athlete training and biomedical areas. You may see some of these demonstrations in the near future.’
In order to demonstrate one of the potential applications of this revolutionary ACEL display, the researchers built a bright stopwatch and then had it attached to the hand of the volunteer. The numbers remained crystal clear and very visible despite the voltage being too low. That is because the ‘device doesn’t produce any detectable electricity.’