The work traces its roots to researchers at the St. Petersburg State Electrotechnical University (LETI) and the State Optical Institute. Vavilov played a pivotal role in developing a flexible, glass-like material derived from an organic polymer, enabling more resilient and bendable displays for tablets, monitors, ATMs, navigation devices, smartwatches, and a wide range of electronic products. This breakthrough was discussed publicly by LETI researchers with media outlets in Russia at the time.
Today, Russia does not manufacture this technology at scale. Only a handful of international companies produce similar materials, while domestic scientists continue to explore how these materials can be incorporated into a broader spectrum of display-enabled electronics. At present, researchers can fabricate films roughly the size of a smartphone screen within laboratory settings, and larger sheets can be produced if needed for specific applications.
Every display stack comprises several layers that collectively perform the device’s functions. Typically this “sandwich” includes a liquid crystal (LC) layer whose performance relies on a polarizer and a light analyzer. The polarizer plays a central role in image formation, brightness control, glare reduction, and related tasks. Traditional polarizing filters are usually made from inorganic materials such as brittle, relatively thick specialty glasses that can reach about one centimeter in thickness. This makes creating ultra-compact, durable displays challenging. An alternative approach uses organic thin-film polarizers, which can offer greater flexibility and reduced thickness.
Researchers reported the first flexible thin-film light polarizers modified with graphene oxide in Russia, achieving a thickness of about 0.1 millimeters. The strength, or microhardness, of these polarizers improved roughly twofold compared with the pure polymer matrix used for conventional thin-film polarizers. The improvement stemmed from a novel production method for polarizers based on organic polymers, enhanced during structuring by graphene oxide’s unique properties. These findings were noted by a senior professor from the LETI department focused on photophysics of nanostructured materials and named after the Head of the GOI SI Vavilova, Natalia Vladimirovna Kamanina, in discussions with media outlets at the time.
Tests on the material properties indicate that the resulting films function as fully ready-to-use polarizing filters for displays across various applications. Presently, scientists are seeking industrial partners to translate these laboratory advances into practical manufacturing lines and commercial products. The collaboration potential is being explored with firms interested in integrating flexible polarizers into next-generation screens for consumer electronics and specialized equipment.
In related news from LETI, a neural network project was developed to detect defects in solar cell production, illustrating the institute’s broader engagement with intelligent systems and materials science. These parallel efforts reflect a strategic focus on advancing optoelectronic devices through both material innovation and smart manufacturing practices. Researchers emphasize that continued advancement will depend on scaling production, ensuring compatibility with existing display architectures, and establishing industrial partnerships that can accelerate pilot runs into commercial volumes. Attribution: LETI researchers and affiliated laboratories.