The Era of E-Paper: How Material Innovation Is Driving Low-Carbon Smart Displays

 

Have you noticed? In recent years, e-paper has become nearly ubiquitous in our daily lives—from smart shelf labels and bus stop displays to wearable devices and outdoor energy-efficient billboards. What once seemed to be just about "low power consumption" is now only the beginning; e-paper is steadily emerging as a leading technology for sustainable displays.

 

 

(Source: pexel.com)

 

 

The 2025 Touch Taiwan exhibition was grandly held in Taipei, establishing itself as a key indicator of Asia's smart display and advanced packaging technologies. This year, the exhibition focused on three core technology areas: the e-paper application ecosystem, PLP (Panel-Level Packaging) innovative processes, and breakthroughs in MicroLED display technology. Among them, e-paper technology stood out, showcasing versatile solutions for smart retail, wearable healthcare, and intelligent logistics. Its low power consumption and reflective display characteristics make it a crucial solution for achieving net-zero carbon emissions and sustainable display applications.

 

 

While riding the Taipei Metro or a tram, you might have seen other passengers holding 

 

 

"Paper-like readers"

 

 

—Screens without backlighting that are easy on the eyes and remain clearly readable even under bright sunlight.

 

 

That's what we call "e-paper." 

 

 

Unlike a smartphone screen that glows and flickers, e-paper relies on ambient light to display content, making reading feel as natural as real paper.

 

 

 

 

Nowadays, e-paper is no longer confined to e-readers—price tags on convenience store shelves, patient information displays in hospitals, and even energy-efficient advertising boards that can be stuck on glass windows, it’s quietly making its way into our lives. The major feature of e-paper is ultra-low power consumption: when the display remains static, it uses almost no energy, and only a tiny amount of power is needed to update the screen. 

 

 

As carbon neutrality, energy conservation and emission reduction issues have become popular worldwide, e-paper’s low-power characteristic positions it as a highly promising technology in the future of smart displays. However, for such technology to be truly implemented and scaled, there remain many challenges—one of the most critical being materials.

 

 

Materials Challenge: The Hidden Technological Barrier of E-Paper Display Modules

 

 

Although e-paper operates differently from traditional LCD or OLED displays, its module structure still heavily relies on the performance of materials. A typical e-paper module consists of conductive layers, electrophoretic display layers, optical protective layers, and encapsulation layers. Each layer requires high compatibility and long-term stability. Flexible e-paper or stick-on applications, in particular, impose even higher demands on material ductility and stress-absorbing capabilities during bending and folding.

 

 

Moreover, since e-paper does not require a backlight module, its overall thickness is greatly reduced, making the quality of encapsulation and protective materials even more critical. High light transmittance, resistance to yellowing, low modulus, and stable adhesion are basic material requirements. During industrial implementation, the ability to complete encapsulation using room-temperature or low-temperature processes directly affects manufacturing yield and carbon footprint performance.

 

 

Future contour of the low-carbon display material

 

 

While pursuing high performance, sustainability and low-carbon development have become the common understanding in material R&D. Based on the observation from exhibition, the low-carbon material characteristics currently drawing the most attention in the smart display field include:

 

 

A. Water-based polymer materials

In response to concerns over VOC emissions from manufacturing processes, water-based resin system may serve as an option to improve environmental friendliness. Compared with traditional solvent-based systems, water-based materials not only reduce volatile emissions but may also lessen the reliance on drying and baking equipment.

 

Examples of material application:

1. Waterborne Polyurethane Dispersion (PUD): Combines elasticity with mechanical strength, offering potential for use on flexible substrates.
2. Waterborne Acrylic Emulsion: Provides good processability and can be applied as an antistatic or surface coating layer.
3. Waterborne Conductive Polymers (e.g., PEDOT:PSS): Show potential applications in front-end display driving layers or antistatic films.

When implementing these materials in practice, factors such as drying efficiency, moisture sensitivity, and substrate adhesion still need to be carefully considered.

 

 

B. Room-Temperature or Low-Temperature Curing Formulations

In flexible e-paper modules, the substrates are often heat-sensitive materials (such as PET or PI). In such cases, using low-temperature curing or room-temperature reactive adhesives can help reduce the need for thermal treatment and lower energy consumption.

 

Currently, the popular formulation options include:

1. Low-temperature curing epoxy systems: Reaction time is controlled using latent hardeners.
2. UV-curable acrylic systems: Can be paired with LED light sources to achieve rapid curing.
3. Siloxane-modified structural adhesives: Show potential in terms of transparency and weather resistance.

 

 

C. High-Transparency and Weather-Resistant Optical Materials

For e-paper displays used outdoors or over extended periods, materials that maintain high transparency and resist yellowing help extend module lifespan and stabilize image quality.

 

In such cases, the following material options are commonly considered:

1. High-refractive-index acrylic systems: Can enhance light transmission efficiency.
2. Optical-grade silicone adhesives: Offer good UV resistance and flexibility.
3. COC/COP (cyclic olefin copolymers) or polycarbonate: Provide superior transparency and dimensional stability, making them suitable for surface-layer structures.

 

 

D. Degradable and Recyclable Materials

As the EU, North America, and some Asian markets strengthen requirements for electronics recyclability and disassemblable design, the recyclability of display materials is increasingly becoming a key consideration in development.

 

Currently, the following material directions are receiving significant attention:

• PLA-modified biodegradable resins: Show potential for certain short-lifecycle applications.
• Thermally degradable polymers or controlled-collapse structures: Can decompose under specified conditions, facilitating downstream disassembly and sorting.
• Debond-on-demand systems: Allow separation under specific stimuli, aiding in layer-by-layer module disassembly.

 

These materials are still in the stage of technical validation or small-scale trial production. If process and cost control mature in the future, they may be widely adopted in specific application scenarios.

 

Chart A. Four low-carbon material direction

Material Direction	Potential Carbon Footprint Benefits	Application Description
Waterborne Polymer Materials	Can reduce carbon emissions by approximately 60% compared to solvent-based coatings; significant VOC reduction	Suitable for coatings, conductive layers, antistatic films, etc.; favorable for large-area roll-to-roll processing
Low-Temperature / Room-Temperature Curing Adhesives	Lower application temperatures can reduce energy use and carbon emissions by about 30%	Ideal for flexible encapsulation and optical lamination, reducing the need for high-temperature processes
High-Transparency / Yellowing-Resistant Optical Materials	Using renewable-energy-based processes and bio-based monomers can lower carbon footprint by approximately 50%	Applied in optical encapsulation and transparent cover layers; extends module lifespan and reduces replacement frequency
Degradable / Recyclable Materials	Compostable and biodegradable properties reduce carbon emissions during disposal and overall carbon footprint	Used in intermediate layers, encapsulation structures, or module adhesives; facilitates layer-by-layer module disassembly and sorting

 

 

The common goal of these next-generation materials is to support more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly manufacturing processes without compromising product performance. As displays evolve toward being “portable, low-power, and adaptable to multiple scenarios,” material selection will no longer be determined solely by technical specifications but will also reflect a company’s sustainability strategy and brand responsibility.

 

 

Application Expansion: Display Solutions from Wearable Devices to Smart Cities

 

 

Advances in materials have not only enhanced the usability of e-paper but also expanded its application boundaries. Numerous exhibition cases have demonstrated e-paper’s potential in flexibility, ultra-thin form factors, and multi-modal integration—from smart wristbands and wearable medical cards to outdoor electronic signage and public transportation displays. Common characteristics of these devices include low energy consumption, long lifespan, high visibility, and lightweight design—making them a perfect match for e-paper technology.

 

 

 

 

These application scenarios also place new demands on materials. For instance, in foldable displays, encapsulation materials must not only maintain optical performance but also resist cracking under mechanical deformation. In outdoor applications, surface coatings need to offer high weather resistance and UV-aging protection. Consequently, material "stability" and "flexibility" have become the two core requirements driving e-paper's adoption across diverse use cases.

 

 

The future of displays: a material-driven low-carbon transformation

 

 

The development of e-paper is a significant symbol of the display industry's shift toward sustainability, and materials are the indispensable driving force behind this transformation. From process optimization to the usage phase, and even to end-of-life recycling and reuse, every stage of material selection and innovation profoundly impacts the environmental footprint and societal value of smart displays.

 

 

When "clear visibility" and "living green" are no longer mutually exclusive, the role of materials evolves from an invisible foundation to a defining factor in the competitiveness of next-generation display technologies.

 

 

Are you ready to harness material innovation and join the next wave of display and packaging revolution?