Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
3.5
1.9
Journals
Photonics
Special Issues
Light-Emitting Diodes: Technology, Advances, Challenges and Applications
share announcement

Light-Emitting Diodes: Technology, Advances, Challenges and Applications

A special issue of Photonics (ISSN 2304-6732). This special issue belongs to the section "Optoelectronics and Optical Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2026 | Viewed by 2762

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Urszula Błaszczak

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Photonics, Electronics and Lighting Technology, Bialystok University of Technology, Białystok, Poland
Interests: lighting technology; energy-efficient lighting; advanced optical systems; light-emitting diodes; optical radiation
Dr. Łukasz Gryko

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Photonics, Electronics and Lighting Technology, Bialystok University of Technology, Białystok, Poland
Interests: light-emitting diodes; advanced optical systems; optical radiation; LEDs in medicine
Dr. Jacek Mariusz Żmojda

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Power Engineering, Photonics and Lighting Technology, Bialystok University of Technology, Białystok, Poland
Interests: optical fibers; RE-doped optical glasses; phosphors-in-glass (PiG); photonic materials; light-emitting diodes; LED technology; advanced optical systems; optical sensors
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

After a quarter of a century on the market, light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are still attracting the attention of researchers. Their appearance has revolutionized the global optoelectronic industry and revealed a previously unforeseen application potential. Although they are widely used today, LEDs still need to be improved and redeveloped. Challenges arise at every stage—from the material to the design of the chip, the characterization of the market-ready emitter and the adaptation to different applications.

The Special Issue "Light-Emitting Diodes: Technology, Advances, Challenges and Applications" looks at the latest developments and critical challenges in LED technology. The aim is to highlight advances in materials, device architectures and new applications in scientific and industrial fields. This Special Issue seeks papers that present the current state of the art and innovative solutions to improve LED efficiency, lifetime and adaptability to different environments while addressing a variety of sustainability issues.

Topics of interest include the following:

  • Advanced semiconductor materials for high-power LEDs.
  • Innovations in LED device structures, including UVC LEDs, broadband illuminators and sun-like LED designs.
  • Development of luminescent materials (phosphors, quantum dots and organic materials) for improved spectral output.
  • Thermal management techniques and reliability improvement for high power applications.
  • Applications focusing on medical, horticultural and adaptive smart lighting.
  • Integration into Industry 4.0 frameworks, smart cities and smart buildings.
  • New concepts such as solvatochromic LEDs, hyperspectral lighting systems and dark-sky-compatible technologies.
  • Sustainable production and recycling pathways for LED systems, including life cycle analysis.

This Special Issue welcomes experimental, theoretical and simulation-based research articles as well as review articles that provide insights into the state of the art and future development of LED technology.

Dr. Urszula Błaszczak
Dr. Łukasz Gryko
Dr. Jacek Mariusz Żmojda
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Photonics is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • light-emitting diodes (LEDs)
  • advanced semiconductor materials for LEDs
  • luminescent materials for LEDs
  • thermal management of LEDs
  • optimization of LED materials and construction
  • optimization of LED systems
  • energy efficiency of LEDs
  • UV-VIS-NIR LED applications (e.g., lighting, medicine, sensors)
  • sustainability of LEDs (materials, technology, and applications)
  • LED recycling and lifecycle analysis

Benefits of Publishing in a Special Issue

  • Ease of navigation: Grouping papers by topic helps scholars navigate broad scope journals more efficiently.
  • Greater discoverability: Special Issues support the reach and impact of scientific research. Articles in Special Issues are more discoverable and cited more frequently.
  • Expansion of research network: Special Issues facilitate connections among authors, fostering scientific collaborations.
  • External promotion: Articles in Special Issues are often promoted through the journal's social media, increasing their visibility.
  • Reprint: MDPI Books provides the opportunity to republish successful Special Issues in book format, both online and in print.

Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

Download All Papers
Order results
Result details
Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:

Research

Jump to: Review

17 pages, 4522 KB  
Article
A Blue LED Spectral Simulation Method Using Exponentially Modified Gaussian Functions with Superimposed Asymmetric Pseudo-Voigt Corrections
by Hongru Zhuang, Yanfei Wang, Caihong Dai, Ling Li, Zhifeng Wu and Jiang Pan
Photonics 2025, 12(8), 788; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics12080788 - 4 Aug 2025
Viewed by 443
Abstract
Accurately simulating the asymmetric spectral profiles of blue LEDs is crucial for photobiological research, yet it remains a challenge for traditional symmetric models. This study proposes a novel spectral simulation model that effectively captures these asymmetries. The proposed model structure is partly motivated [...] Read more.
Accurately simulating the asymmetric spectral profiles of blue LEDs is crucial for photobiological research, yet it remains a challenge for traditional symmetric models. This study proposes a novel spectral simulation model that effectively captures these asymmetries. The proposed model structure is partly motivated by known broadening and dispersion mechanisms observed in real LED spectra; it employs a ‘base model + correction’ framework, where an Exponentially Modified Gaussian (EMG) function captures the primary spectral shape and falling edge and an Asymmetric Pseudo-Voigt (APV) function corrects the deviations on the rising edge. Requiring only the central wavelength and bandwidth as user inputs, the simulation results exhibit a high degree of agreement with the experimental data spectra. The model provides a rapid and robust tool for pre-evaluating light sources against regulatory criteria (e.g., >99% of the spectral intensity is in the 400–500 nm band), thereby enhancing the efficiency of experimental design in blue light protection studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Light-Emitting Diodes: Technology, Advances, Challenges and Applications)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

29 pages, 7518 KB  
Article
LEDs for Underwater Optical Wireless Communication
by Giuseppe Schirripa Spagnolo, Giorgia Satta and Fabio Leccese
Photonics 2025, 12(8), 749; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics12080749 - 25 Jul 2025
Viewed by 1085
Abstract
LEDs are readily controllable and demonstrate rapid switching capabilities. These attributes facilitate their efficient integration across a broad spectrum of applications. Indeed, their inherent versatility renders them ideally suited for diverse sectors, including consumer electronics, traffic signage, automotive technology, and architectural illumination. Furthermore, [...] Read more.
LEDs are readily controllable and demonstrate rapid switching capabilities. These attributes facilitate their efficient integration across a broad spectrum of applications. Indeed, their inherent versatility renders them ideally suited for diverse sectors, including consumer electronics, traffic signage, automotive technology, and architectural illumination. Furthermore, LEDs serve as effective light sources for applications in spectroscopy, agriculture, pest control, and wireless optical transmission. The capability to choice high-efficiency LED devices with a specified dominant wavelength renders them particularly well-suited for integration into underwater optical communication systems. In this paper, we present the state-of-the-art of Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) for use in underwater wireless optical communications (UOWC). In particular, we focus on the challenges posed by water turbidity and evaluate the optimal wavelengths for communication in coastal environments, especially in the presence of chlorophyll or suspended particulate matter. Given the growing development and applications of underwater optical communication, it is crucial that the topic becomes not only a subject of research but also part of the curricula in technical school and universities. To this end, we introduce a simple and cost-effective UOWC system designed for educational purposes. Some tests have been conducted to evaluate the system’s performance, and the results have been reported. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Light-Emitting Diodes: Technology, Advances, Challenges and Applications)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Review

Jump to: Research

16 pages, 2415 KB  
Review
Recycling Technologies for Extracting Gallium from Light-Emitting Diodes
by Laraib Mustafa, Muhammad Usman, Shazma Ali, Ahmed Ali and Anis Naveed
Photonics 2025, 12(8), 808; https://doi.org/10.3390/photonics12080808 - 12 Aug 2025
Viewed by 737
Abstract
Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are made up of precious metals, e.g., gallium. These elements can be recovered and reused, reducing the need for new raw materials. Proper recycling prevents harmful substances in LEDs, such as lead and arsenic, from contaminating the environment. Recycling LEDs [...] Read more.
Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are made up of precious metals, e.g., gallium. These elements can be recovered and reused, reducing the need for new raw materials. Proper recycling prevents harmful substances in LEDs, such as lead and arsenic, from contaminating the environment. Recycling LEDs uses less energy compared to producing new ones, leading to lower carbon emissions. The valuable metal gallium faces the challenge of supply and demand due to the surge in its demand, the difficulty of separating it from minerals, and processing issues during extraction. In this review, we describe the methods for recycling gallium from LEDs by using different techniques such as pyrolysis (95% recovery), oxalic acid leaching (83.2% recovery), HCL acid leaching of coal fly ash (90–95% recovery), subcritical water treatment (80.5% recovery), supercritical ethanol (93.10% recovery), oxidation and subsequent leaching (91.4% recovery), and vacuum metallurgy separation (90% recovery). Based on our analysis, hydrometallurgy is the best approach for recovering gallium. It is reported that approximately 5% of the waste from LEDs is adequately recycled, whereas the total gallium potential wasted throughout production is over 93%. By recycling LEDs, we can minimize waste, conserve resources, and promote sustainable practices. Thus, recycling LEDs is essential for strengthening a circular economy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Light-Emitting Diodes: Technology, Advances, Challenges and Applications)
►▼ Show Figures

Figure 1

Show export options expand_more Show export options expand_less
Select all
Export citation of selected articles as:
 
Displaying articles 1-3
Back to TopTop