Efficient and low-cost light-emitting electrochemical cells of graphene quantum dots

加拿大目前在电力方面花费了350亿美元。照明行业的电能消耗量约为100亿美元。百分之二十照明是节约能源和减少温室气体的理想场所。发光电化学电池（LEC）是最简单的照明设备之一。它们由两个电触点夹在中间的非常薄的发光材料层组成，并发出白色光，就像我们用于连接电力照明的荧光灯管一样。LECs消耗更少的电力，发出的光比我们的灯泡更强。另一方面，地球上的碳含量丰富。石墨烯是一个平面片的键合碳原子或这些片的堆叠，而石墨烯量子点（GQD）是这些片小到几纳米（nm，十亿分之一米）的碎片。GQD是发光的并且可以用于上述LEC中。该提案涉及我们使用低成本GQD制造LEC的策略。我们将在工业标准印刷电路板（PCB）或柔性PCB上开发这种LEC，这种LEC易于用于照明，并且具有较长的耐用性。该项目将我们正在申请专利的一锅电化学制备发光GQD的技术扩展到最佳性能和最低成本。预计LEC将产生超过10%的能源效率。在三年内，该战略项目将提供10 cm x 10 cm的GQD LEC器件原型。该战略项目将为加拿大带来以下好处：（a）创造财富，包括生产照明产品的新的初创企业;这些新的初创企业价值链中的新业务;新的和有吸引力的就业机会;及（B）健康及环境效益包括与建议书中所解释的绿色制造考虑因素有关的健康及环境效益，并且随着绿色制造的引入，以减少能源消耗、未来100年全球变暖潜力（GWP 100）和其他环境负荷。

Canada currently spends $35 billion for electricity. The consumption of electrical energy in the lighting sector is ca. 20%. Lighting represents the ideal playing field for saving energy and reducing greenhouse gases. Light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs) are one of the simplest kinds of lighting devices. They consist of very thin layer of light emitting materials sandwiched by two electricity contacts and emit white light as our fluorescent tubes used for lighting upon connection of electricity. LECs consume much less power and emit light stronger than our lighting bulbs. On the other hand, carbon is rich on the earth. Graphene is a flat sheet of bonded carbon atoms or a stack of these sheets, while grapheme quantum dots (GQDs) are pieces of these sheets as small as several nanometers (nm, 1 billionth meter). GQDs are luminescent and can be used in the above LECs. This proposal addresses our strategies of making LECs, using low cost GQDs. We will develop this kind of LECs on industry standard printed circuit boards (PCBs) or flexible PCBs, which are easy to use for lighting, and have a long durability. This project extends our patent-pending technology of one-pot electrochemical preparation of luminescent GQDs to the best performance and lowest cost ones. The LECs are expected to generate greater than 10% energy efficiency. Within three years, the strategic project will deliver prototypes of LECs in 10 cm x 10 cm pieces of GQD LEC devices. The strategic project will lead to the following benefits to Canada: (a) Wealth creation including new start-ups to produce the lighting products; new business in the value chain of these new start-ups; new and attractive employment opportunities; and (b) The health and environmental benefits include those associated with the green manufacturing considerations explained in the proposal, and with the introduction of green fabrication to reduce energy consumption, global warming potential in the next 100 years (GWP100), and other environmental loads.