Materials Tech Pulse

Display technologies are becoming increasingly prevalent in our daily lives at an unprecedented pace. Screens serve as the gateway through which people engage with the digital world, spanning devices such as smartphones, laptops, TVs, automotive dashboards, wearables, and public digital displays. Flexible displays, such as foldable smartphones, are further expanding the possibilities and ushering in a new era of innovation in display applications.

For decades, glass has been the material of choice for display covers due to its high transparency and durability. However, as demand grows for foldable and flexible devices, the limitations of glass—particularly its weight and brittleness—have become increasingly apparent. In applications such as foldable smartphones that undergo repeated bending cycles, or automotive displays that require irregular shapes and must withstand prolonged high temperatures, glass often falls short. The display industry reaches a turning point when traditional materials can no longer balance transparency, durability, and sustainability. Foldable smartphones represent just the beginning of a much broader trend. The next significant challenges will emerge in automotive smart cockpits and large-format displays, where the limitations of legacy materials are creating opportunities for next-generation solutions.

In this context, fluorine-free colorless polyimide (CPI) is emerging as a viable alternative. It offers glass-like transparency and low optical retardation, while also delivering flexibility and high mechanical strength. More importantly, its fluorine-free formulations align with stringent global environmental and sustainability standards. As material innovation accelerates, developers such as LCY are actively advancing the application of CPI to meet the display industry’s evolving demands for performance, cost-effectiveness, and sustainability.

The value of CPI lies in its ability to deliver both high performance and long-term durability. CPI can withstand the numerous bending cycles of flexible displays. Furthermore, CPI maintains excellent structural integrity and thermal resistance in stringent application requirements such as automotive display modules. This prevents performance degradation under prolonged high temperatures. CPI redefines the standard for display materials. The emergence of CPI represents more than a mere material enhancement; it signifies a generational leap in material innovation.

From a sustainability and regulatory standpoint, CPI's fluorine-free formulations align with global initiatives to restrict per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). PFAS, also known as "forever chemicals" due to their persistent nature, have been identified as a serious environmental and health concern. The European Union has already imposed regulatory restrictions, with similar measures increasingly adopted in markets across the United States and Asia. For material suppliers, the failure to eliminate high-risk substances at the design stage can result in loss of market access, increased regulatory scrutiny, and diminished brand reputation. In response, LCY has moved beyond the traditional reliance on fluorine-based chemistries to achieve optical clarity and performance in CPI. By successfully developing a fluorine-free CPI solution, LCY strengthens the display industry’s pathway to long-term regulatory compliance and sustainability leadership.

Another defining feature of CPI is its diverse technological pathways, which have progressed well beyond a single development trajectory. A range of CPI formulations has emerged, each designed to meet specific performance requirements. Some are optimized for high thermal stability, ideal for automotive applications. Others offer enhanced optical transparency with reduced optical delay to support high-resolution displays. There are also formulations that prioritize mechanical strength and flexibility to meet the needs of foldable and flexible devices. LCY is

actively innovating across all these dimensions, developing tailored CPI formulations to address a wide spectrum of application challenges. These advancements are not merely isolated achievements, but collectively contribute to the formation of a robust materials ecosystem.

The expanding scope of applications is positioning CPI as a core material in the display industry. Beyond foldable displays and flexible electronics, CPI is increasingly viewed as a viable replacement for glass in large-format display covers and has already begun to penetrate high-end displays and automotive display modules. CPI also shows potential in adjacent fields, including flexible printed circuit boards (FPCBs), touch panels and sensors, transparent antennas, and transparent insulating layers in thin-film transistors (TFTs), signaling opportunities for CPI to extend beyond traditional display markets.

Take the automotive electronics sector as an example. With the growing adoption of smart cockpits and large touchscreens, display modules must deliver high brightness, long-term thermal stability, and reliable structural strength. CPI maintains consistent performance under the stringent requirements, making it a critical enabler in the automotive industry’s transformation.

The application potential for CPI continues to expand as televisions, laptops, and digital information board displays evolve toward thinner, lighter, and more impact-resistant designs. While CPI may not appear in consumer-facing marketing, it plays a pivotal behind-the-scenes role—enabling smooth folding in smartphones, long-term reliability in automotive displays, and slim form factors in large-format screens. The display industry is undergoing a quiet yet transformative shift—from the long-held belief that “glass is irreplaceable” to a new paradigm in which “CPI is indispensable.” As global demand for displays continues to expand, only next-generation materials such as CPI, which offer both excellent performance and environmental compliance, can guide the industry through this generational transition. In this largely unseen competition, the ongoing innovations of LCY and its industry peers will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of display technology.