New Stretchable Light-Emitting Material Paves Way for Flexible Photon Devices

A research team led by the California NanoSystems Institute (CNSI) at UCLA has developed a new type of light-emitting material with significant potential for photonics—technologies that use light to transmit and process information, much as electronics rely on electrical signals. The team combined the semiconductor molybdenum disulfide (MoS₂), a “two-dimensional” material only three atoms thick, with Nafion, a polymer commonly used in fuel cells. This combination produced a printable, large-area, stretchable membrane capable of emitting bright light. Thanks to its durability and cost-effective production, the material shows promise for chip-integrated light sources that could advance photonic computation.

Photonics leverages the unique properties of light to enable faster, more energy-efficient operations than traditional electronics. Current photonic applications include lasers, fiber-optic telecommunications, solar cells, smartphone cameras, scanners, and displays, and future photonic computing could greatly expand the capabilities of today’s electronic computers. However, integrating conventional semiconductors into ultrathin, flexible photonic circuits has proven challenging. Materials like MoS₂ offer a solution, providing ultrathin, flexible components that can be directly embedded into photonic devices.

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Until now, adapting 2D MoS₂ for photonics has been difficult because the ultrathin layers are fragile and emit very little light on their own. The UCLA-developed material overcomes these limitations: Nafion reinforces the delicate 2D layer and repairs surface defects, resulting in a dramatic increase in light-emitting efficiency. This breakthrough emerged from UCLA’s multidisciplinary approach, combining expertise from energy research (fuel cells, batteries, catalysis) with 2D semiconductor science. The collaboration sparked the novel idea of pairing two well-known materials from different fields—Nafion and MoS₂—producing an unexpected and highly effective synergy.

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The researchers achieved this by stacking alternating layers of 2D MoS₂ and Nafion, a combination rarely explored before. This structure preserved the optimal properties of the 2D semiconductor, even in thick, flexible membranes. The resulting membranes were bright, stable in air and water, and retained performance when stretched, overcoming the fragility that had previously limited practical applications of 2D MoS₂.

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The material opens exciting possibilities for next-generation photonic technologies. In the long term, computers operating with light could deliver unprecedented processing speeds while reducing the high energy demands of applications like generative artificial intelligence. In the nearer term, the UCLA team plans to deploy the material in compact, flexible, stretchable displays, integrated components for computer chips, and laser devices, offering versatile applications across both consumer and advanced technological markets.