STTR PHASE I: Flexible Inorganic/Polymer Multilayer Gas Diffusion Barrier Films

小企业技术转移研究（STTR）第一阶段项目将开发有机电子设备的扩散屏障。由无机/聚合物多层膜形成的创新型薄膜是保护有机电子器件的优异柔性气体扩散屏障。目前的涂层技术不能满足柔性有机发光器件（OLED）对低透水性和低透氧性的要求。拟议的工作将开发灵活的无机/聚合物多层膜，应显示出无与伦比的扩散滞后时间为10年的H2O渗透性。柔性无机/聚合物气体扩散阻挡层将极大地影响柔性OLED的发展。目前，由于缺乏合适的气体扩散阻挡层，这些柔性有机电子器件已经被推迟了10年。柔性气体扩散屏障的用途也涉及其他领域。OLED非常节能。在廉价的柔性塑料基板上制造OLED的能力将允许OLED照明的广泛采用。OLED照明光源应该减少能源消耗，有助于提高国家的能源安全。柔性屏障还需要用于各种其他应用，例如医疗包装和柔性材料，以保护免受化学和生物制剂的影响。

The Small Business Technology Transfer Research (STTR) Phase I project will develop diffusion barriers for organic electronic devices. Innovative new films formed from inorganic/polymer multilayers are excellent flexible gas diffusion barriers to protect organic electronic devices. Current coating technologies can not meet the requirements for low water and oxygen permeability for flexible organic light emitting devices (OLEDs). The proposed work will develop flexible inorganic/polymer multilayers that should display unsurpassed diffusive lag times for the H2O permeability of 10 years. Flexible inorganic/polymer gas diffusion barriers would greatly impact the development of flexible OLEDs. Currently, these flexible organic electronic devices have been pushed back 10 years because of the lack of a suitable gas diffusion barrier. The usefulness of flexible gas diffusion barriers also reaches into other arenas. OLEDs are very energy efficient. The ability to fabricate OLEDs on inexpensive flexible plastic substrates would allow for widespread adoption of OLED lighting. OLED lighting sources should reduce energy consumption and help improve the nation's energy security. Flexible barriers are also needed for a variety of other applications such as medical packaging and flexible materials to protect from chemical and biological agents.