Kyulux, a Nishi Ward-based venture company started with help from Kyushu University, has announced plans to put organic electroluminescent (aka organic EL) materials into commercial production. The company, which has already obtained the necessary patent rights from the university and raised ¥1.5 billion in funding, aims to have a viable product ready for use in TV and smartphone screens by 2018. With the the funding, which was provided by the university startup investor QB Fund and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Kyulux plans to hire several new researchers and ramp up R&D. Organic electroluminescent materials are materials that generate their own light, and if they can be commercialized, they could reduce power consumption; however, many of these materials are expensive rare metals. The technology that Kyulux has obtained from Kyushu University would generate electroluminescence from inexpensive compounds of carbon, hydrogen and other elements. Source: Nikkei Shimbun 2/25
