Was Merck vying Samsung Electronics quantum dot TVs, when it signed the quantum dot marketing agreement with Nanoco? Well that is what one Korean Times report claims.

Analysts interviewed by the Korean media said the agreement signed between Nanoco and Merck would benefit the German company as it supplies higher quality cadmium-free products to large TV vendors such as Samsung Electronics.

LG and Samsung have been competing for the dominant next generation TVs on the market.

Samsung improved viewing quality of TVs using cadmium-free quantum dot materials based on its existing LCD TV infrastructure, while LG electronics has been promoting large screened OLED TVs.

In fact Samsung turned down LG Display’s invitation to join a consortium comprised of Japanese, Taiwanese and Chinese companies to promote OLED technology. The company has mentioned on several occasions that it remained doubtful of OLED TV business profitability, due to high manufacturing cost and low yield rates.

Compared to LG’s strategy, Samsung is aligning its OLED display technology in small portable devices including smartphones and in-vehicle parts.

"Samsung favors quantum dot, a nano-crystal evolution of LCD technology, given its quantum dot-owned advantage to minimize costs for LCD display manufacturing lines with a few and cost-effective adjustments, the Merck-Nanoco partnership will be helpful to Samsung," said an industry executive by phone.

A Samsung Electronics spokesman based in Seoul refused to comment on expected benefits it would receive from the Merck-Nanoco partnership.

Quantum materials offer a lot of additional benefit when used as color converters in the light source of LCDs.