Discovery: UTD Team Develops ‘Bendy’ Micro LEDs That Can Fold, Twist, and Stick to Most Anything
The next-gen electronics, which can even be cut, could reshape the future of wearable technology.
![Dr. Moon Kim, Louis Beecherl Jr. Distinguished Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at UT Dallas shown with the research team's bendable electronics. [Images: Courtesy of UTD]](https://s24806.pcdn.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/LastWord_Quote_Dr.Kim_BendyLEDs_viaUTD_970x464_DallasInnovatesFeatureArt_Template.jpg)
Dr. Moon Kim, Louis Beecherl Jr. Distinguished Professor of Materials Science and Engineering
at UT Dallas shown with the research team's bendable electronics. [Images: Courtesy of UTD]
A University of Texas at Dallas research team, together with international colleagues, has developed a method to make flexible micro LEDs that can be “folded, twisted, cut, and stuck” to almost anything, according to UT Dallas’ Dr. Moon Kim.
The next-gen electronics could reshape the future of wearable technology, the professor said in a news release.
“You can transfer it onto your clothing or even rubber—that was the main idea,” Dr. Kim said. “It can survive even if you wrinkle it. If you cut it, you can use half of the LED.”
Beyond clothing, the bendy LEDs offer a broad range of use cases from flexible lighting to biomedical devices. The small size opens up more possibilities, such as in smart watches.
UTD’s research colleagues in South Korea put the invention to the test by adhering the next-gen LEDs to curved surfaces and other materials that were later twisted, bent, and even crumpled. In one demo, the team attached a LED to a LEGO mini-figure. The outcome? According to Dr. Kim, the quality nor the electronic properties of the LED are affected by bending or cutting.
The team’s research was published in Science Advances in June.

Get on the list.
Dallas Innovates, every day.
Sign up to keep your eye on what’s new and next in Dallas-Fort Worth, every day.
R E A D N E X T
-
UT Dallas' School of Arts, Technology, and Emerging Communication (ATEC) is unveiling its modular sculptural installation tomorrow. The 30-foot-long installation—made of steel, LED lighting, and projections—will be housed in the Richardson Innovation Quarter (aka The IQ).
-
The Department of Energy grant went to a UTD mechanical engineering professor and his team. If successful, the project could make a new technology that produces electricity cost effectively and reliably offshore.
-
The Series A funding will help the Security Operations Center-as-a-Service provider address the challenges enterprises currently face in protecting their data.
-
The Princeton Review's 14th annual survey named UTD 13th and TCU 15th. Each North Texas university houses an institute for entrepreneurship studies within the business school.
-
UT Dallas' largest startup pitch competition allowed six student teams to present their business ideas. See who took home the prize money.
Comments are closed.