A groundbreaking Nano Transparent Screen (NTS) has been developed and commercialized for the first time in the world. This innovative screen can adjust its transparency according to the environment and can be produced at a low cost, paving the way for the widespread adoption of large transparent screens, which until now have been prohibitively expensive. The newly developed screen is expected to find applications across various products, such as transparent displays in department stores and supermarkets, smart windows for buildings, and versatile transparent displays suitable for both indoor and outdoor promotional uses.

The research team, led by Principal Researcher Jun-Ho Jeong of the Nano-lithography and Manufacturing Research Center at the Korea Institute of Machinery and Materials (KIMM), in collaboration with Meta2People, has successfully commercialized a 100-inch large-sized NTS. This screen’s transparency can be freely adjusted depending on the surrounding lighting and images. The NTS was installed in the outdoor space of the “Youth Mall” located in Chungju in June and will be showcased at the International Nano Technology Exhibition, known as “Nano Korea 2024,” from July 3 to July 5, 2024, at KINTEX in Ilsan.

The NTS developed by KIMM is composed of a film as thin as a human hair, made by evenly dispersing titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanoparticles, with a diameter of 100 nanometers, inside the film. When light is emitted from a beam projector onto the NTS, a very wide and clear image, with a viewing angle of 170 degrees, can be viewed together with the scenery beyond the transparent screen. This ensures the video on the screen is visible to viewers from every angle. Moreover, the NTS developed by KIMM’s research team can be overlapped with a Polymer Dispersed Liquid Crystal (PDLC) film. When the brightness of the ambient light needs adjustment or when detailed images need to be projected, the transparency of the PDLC film can be lowered to produce clearer images.

The price of a conventional 100-inch transparent Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) screen is over KRW 100 million, making it too expensive for general consumers. Additionally, transparent Light-Emitting Diode (LED) screens have not been widely used due to their low resolution. NTSs can be mass-produced through a roll-to-roll process, allowing them to be supplied to the market at around 10 percent of the price of transparent OLED screens. These screens are also capable of producing clear images without loss of resolution using the highest resolution beam projector.

Additionally, the light-related characteristics of NTSs rarely change in high and low-temperature environments, making it possible to manufacture 100-inch or larger transparent screens in the form of lightweight and flexible films. Moreover, as NTSs are not affected by adverse weather conditions such as extreme cold or heat waves, these screens are suitable for both indoor and outdoor installations. Principal Researcher Jeong of KIMM commented, “The technology for manufacturing NTSs is a cutting-edge, innovative technology created through the combination of nanomaterials and nanomanufacturing technology with existing IT technologies. Going forward, we will focus on research and development to continuously improve the quality of NTSs and lead the popularization of transparent screens.”

President Seog-Hyeon Ryu of KIMM remarked, “This research is substantially meaningful in that KIMM has successfully commercialized its technology jointly with a research institute spin-off company established through KIMM’s investment in its original patented technology.”

By Impact Lab