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Business awarded $250,000 to develop LCD technology
By Paula Schleis
Beacon Journal business writer
Published on Saturday, Sep 20, 2008
A North American consortium has awarded Akron Polymer Systems a $250,000 contract to develop a flexible and transparent liquid crystal display that can withstand high-processing temperatures.
Today, organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) used in television screens, computer displays, cell phones and other illuminated technologies are typically made of rigid and breakable glass, explained Akron Polymer Systems Chief Executive Frank Harris.
APS is in the process of developing a flexible and lightweight plastic to take the place of the glass. The key
is finding a material that will remain stable during a manufacturing process that can exceed 300 degrees, he said.
APS' customer is The FlexTech Alliance, formerly known as the U.S. Display Consortium. The group is funded by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory in Adelphi, Md., but composed of private companies and other enterprises devoted to developing new LCD technology.
The contract provides FlexTech with right of first refusal of whatever APS develops, Harris said, and ''most companies in the alliance are the kind we would want to sell to anyway.''
APS founders Harris and Stephen Cheng have a national reputation in the optical polymer field. They developed the ''compensation film'' that increased the viewing angle of LCD televisions, which once required users to look head-on to see the image.
FlexTech's Chief Technology Officer Mark Hartney said he expects that the polymers APS will develop ''will have multiple applications and open new markets for display technologies and flexible electronics.''
U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan, D-Niles, said the technology also will have value in the military and ''pave the way for success in building more rugged and versatile displays for our war fighters.''
The 6-year-old APS has been busy on other fronts as well.
Earlier this year, it was awarded $349,644 by the state's Third Frontier Commission for its work with a type of fuel cell called a ''proton exchange membrane,'' which operates at high temperatures and low humidity.
APS will produce and test PEM assemblies for use in automotive power systems and portable power systems, as well as military applications such as unmanned air vehicles and directed energy weapons.
APS also is participating in a project led by Xunlight 26 Solar in Toledo, which received nearly $1 million from Third Frontier to design a rooftop system for transforming sunlight into energy.
Harris said the FlexTech project for a flexible heat-resistant plastic also would open new opportunities for solar cells.
Paula Schleis can be reached at 330-996-3741 or pschleis@thebeaconjournal.com.
A North American consortium has awarded Akron Polymer Systems a $250,000 contract to develop a flexible and transparent liquid crystal display that can withstand high-processing temperatures.
Get the full article here.
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