Perovskite Display Technology Achieves Record Efficiency and Industry-Level Operational Lifetime
January 15, 2026 – Seoul, Republic of Korea
A groundbreaking advancement in perovskite display technology promises to revolutionize the future of visual display systems. Researchers from Seoul National University, led by Professor Tae-Woo Lee, have developed a novel hierarchical-shell (HS) perovskite nanocrystal (PeNC) technology that achieves unprecedented photoluminescence efficiency while exhibiting operational lifetimes compatible with industry standards. This significant breakthrough, published as a cover article in Science, marks a major step toward next-generation vivid-color display technologies, including ultra-high-definition televisions and augmented and virtual reality displays.
Addressing a Core Challenge in Display Technology
Display technology remains a crucial industry due to the fact that over 70% of human information perception is visual. Historically, Japan led the global display market in the 1990s, followed by Korea’s rise thanks to robust investments in LCD and OLED. Recently, China has gained substantial market share supported by government initiatives. Against this backdrop, the quest for a fundamentally new display technology surpassing OLED has become a pressing strategic priority.
Perovskite emitters have emerged as promising candidates for next-generation displays because of their exceptional optoelectronic properties, including very high color purity, low production costs, and tunable emission wavelengths. These attributes enable the technology to potentially meet the Rec. 2020 color standard—a stringent specification that demands about 40% wider color gamut coverage than the widely used DCI-P3 standard, ensuring more vivid and accurate color reproduction.
Overcoming Previous Barriers with Hierarchical Shell Architecture
Despite their promise, perovskite nanocrystals have historically suffered from poor stability under operational stresses such as heat, moisture, and light exposure due to their soft ionic lattice structures and chemically sensitive surfaces. This has limited their adoption in solid-state devices where durability is paramount.
To solve this challenge, Professor Lee’s team engineered a hierarchical-shell architecture composed of chemically interlocked layers of PbSO₄, SiO₂, and polymer. Unlike previous approaches relying on surface ligands or passive encapsulation, this structure locks both the perovskite lattice and its surface firmly in place. The result is substantial suppression of lattice expansion, ion migration, and degradation pathways.
Consequently, these HS-PeNC films maintain nearly 100% photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) while achieving record external quantum yields (EQE) of 91.4%. Equally impressive are their operational stabilities: T90 lifetimes (time to 90% of initial performance) exceed 3,900 hours under accelerated humid-thermal conditions (60°C, 90% relative humidity) and an extrapolated 27,234 hours under continuous blue-light exposure. Such durability surpasses previously reported results and meets commercial display industry requirements.
Implications for Display Manufacturing and Environmental Safety
Beyond optical performance, the hierarchical shell confers excellent processability and environmental safety. The shell effectively prevents the release of lead ions into water, addressing toxicity concerns. Cytotoxicity tests confirmed biocompatibility comparable to standard polystyrene substrates.
The stabilized nanocrystals are also compatible with industrial fabrication methods, including inkjet printing and high-resolution photolithography capable of achieving pixel densities above 3,500 pixels per inch—sufficient for micro-LED and immersive reality displays.
In collaboration with SN Display Co., Ltd., a venture co-founded by Professor Lee, the team demonstrated the scalability of this technology through roll-to-roll printing of large-area color-conversion films (up to 0.6 m × 3.2 m). Prototypes including 10.1-inch tablets, 28-inch and 32-inch monitors, and 43-inch and 75-inch televisions were exhibited, showing uniform brightness and color reproducibility surpassing many commercial alternatives. These devices achieved over 97% coverage of the Rec. 2020 color gamut, outperforming existing LCDs, InP quantum dots, and OLED displays.
A Milestone in Perovskite LED Research Trajectory
Professor Lee’s group has been a pioneer in perovskite LEDs since 2014, previously pushing external quantum efficiencies from an initial 0.1% to near-theoretical limits of 28.9% and operational lifetimes nearing 30,000 hours. This new advance transcends device-level improvements by stabilizing the materials themselves for practical, large-scale solid-state emitter applications.
In Professor Lee’s words:
"By developing a hierarchical shell that locks both the soft lattice and the labile surface of perovskite nanocrystals, we have achieved near-unity efficiency and commercial-grade operational lifetime simultaneously. This breakthrough opens the door for ultra-vivid, highly durable next-generation displays capable of transforming how we experience visual information."
Looking Ahead
This innovation not only resolves the key stability and efficiency challenges faced by perovskite emitters but also facilitates integration with existing manufacturing infrastructure, bringing commercial perovskite-based displays closer to reality. The research community and display industry stakeholders worldwide are closely watching these developments as the technology promises to set new standards in visual display performance.
For further details, the full research article is available in the January 2026 issue of Science (DOI: 10.1126/science.ady1370).
This report has been reviewed by editorial experts to ensure factual accuracy and editorial integrity.
