For the first time, researchers have observed electroluminescence in a metal-related material: graphene. The discovery, published in the journal Nature, shows that under certain conditions graphene can emit in the infrared beyond its natural incandescence. The devices were designed and manufactured at LPENS and operate under ambient conditions. This phenomenon is completely unexpected for a material that has no band gap.
This study also shows that electroluminescence is accompanied by an exceptionally efficient radiative energy transfer between graphene and its encapsulate hexagonal boron nitride (hBN). This transfer can account for up to 75% of the total electrical power dissipated. Finally, because of its radiative nature, the authors show that this large energy transfer is highly dependent on the crystalline properties of boron nitride, and that it is even possible to suppress it.
This research is the result of a collaboration between several French laboratories (LPENS, Institut Langevin, ONERA, Laboratoire Multimatériaux et Interfaces, INSA Lyon, Laboratoire Charles Fabry). It represents a major step forward in our understanding of radiative sources and the energy exchanges involved. In particular, the absence of a bandgap in graphene makes it possible to envisage electroluminescence and perhaps optical amplification at arbitrary wavelengths in the mid-infrared, a field in which we currently lack simple sources.
A short history of carbon role in radiative sources : From candles’ soot to graphene’s electroluminescence.
More:
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08627-6
Author affiliation:
Laboratoire de physique de L’École normale supérieure (LPENS, ENS Paris/CNRS/Sorbonne Université/Université de Paris)
Corresponding author: Emmanuel Baudin
Communication contact: L’équipe de communication