Warm White LED Lamp Using Single Yellow Phosphor Ideal For Indoor Lighting Developed

A warm white LED has been developed by scientists using a single yellow phosphor. This is ideal for indoor lighting as it doesn't give out the usual bright white-blue light current LED lamps do.

Low energy lighting options can be found almost anywhere these days. The two most common are Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFL) and LED lamps. A 9 watt CFL lighting fixture has an equivalent brightness as that of a regular 45 watt incandescent lamp. An 11 watt CFL is equal to 60 watts and an 18/20 watt lamp will give an equivalent incandescent brightness of 100 watts. They also last 10 to 15 times longer than a regular light bulb, around 15,000 hours. A regular light bulb lasts around 1500 to 2000 hours.

A newer form of low energy lighting is the LED (Light Emitting Diode) lamp. It is a form of solid state lighting. Solid state devices are devices built form solid materials where electrons are are confined entirely within the solid material.

LED lamps can give out light equivalent to a 50 watt halogen lamp at a fraction of the energy needed (around 7 watts). An LED lamp also has a lifespan of around 30,000 to 50,000 hours; twice that of a CFL light bulb. One year has 8,760 hours.

At an average daily use of 5 hours a day, an LED bulb would last around 16 years.

LED bulbs are still more expensive than other available lighting options. But in the long term, the energy savings will compensate for it.

The problem with LED lamps is the color temperature that it gives out. The light of the LED has a bluish white tinge that some people find unsettling.

Nanotechnology and Plastics Develop New Type of Lighting That is Flicker-Free, Bendable and Shatterproof

Researchers using nanotechnology and materials engineering have discovered a new type of lighting material that is safer, more durable, and lasts longer. Field-Induced Polymer Electroluminescent technology (FIPEL), may replace conventional lighting in the future.

In Popular Mechanics' list of 101 Gadgets That Changed the World, the light bulb was ranked number 10. The light bulb provided constant illumination to the world and transitioned the dependence of light from the open flame to electrically produced light.

The light bulb works by passing an electric current to a filament (usually tungsten). This allows the tungsten to heat up and glow, producing light. To protect the filament from oxidizing and burning out, it is encased in a glass bulb which is filled with non-reactive gas like argon.

This lead to the development of the fluorescent lamp which although also has a filament, uses atoms to generate ultra violet light that excites the phosphor (a chemical that can emit light) coating inside the tube to light up. The filament is used to heat up the mercury atoms for it to start generating ultra-violet light which in itself is invisible to the naked eye.

New Development in Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) Production

OLED. The name doesn't really excite people but what it is will surely turn the world upside down in terms of viewing technology.

But imagine a television or computer screen you can roll up like a newspaper or even a light bulb as thin as a picture frame.

OLED stands for Organic Light-Emitting Diode. Not to be confused with LCD screens, OLED do not need to be backlit with LEDs or lamps.

They produce light on their own and ar thin and flexible.

These are already used in TV screens, monitors, mobile phones, and tablet computers. Some commercial visual displays also use OLED screens. Most of these screens use AMOLED (Active Matrix OLED) technology as they have a higher resolution than Passive Matrix OLEDs. An AMOLED screen has a thin-film transistor that switches each individual pixel on or off giving it better control and clarity of the image. Current manufacturing costs are what hinders this type of screen of breaking into the mainstream market.

According to Physics World, Paul Blom and Ton van Mol from the Holst Centre in Eindhoven are studying a way of creating thin and flexible OLED sheets thru a newspaper style process of printing. The process the two are looking into is to dissolve the OLED in a liquid solvent and spray it into a thin roll of flexible plastic foil. It is similar to how a newspaper in a printing press is printed, "roll to roll".

Video: OLED

With this process, OLED may jump from the display screen category to the lighting industry. OLED lamps and lightbulbs.

"Traditional LEDs have so far failed to become a viable alternative to light bulbs because, despite being highly efficient, they have to be fabricated in clean rooms and so are expensive to make. But with about 20 per cent of the electricity the world consumes going on lighting, Blom and Van Mol state that any new, more-efficient lighting technology could greatly reduce global energy consumption... OLEDs are poised to take over from the light bulb as their spray-on production makes them a faster and cheaper alternative to traditional LEDs and can be produced en mass through the "roll-to-roll" newspaper technique..."
Source: Physics World

Blom and Van Mol writes, "Many companies recognize the potential of OLEDs and are investing heavily in research and development in the hope that when this technology finally takes off, they will be in pole position to take advantage,"

Samsung unveiled the world's thinnest OLED display last October 2008. Measuring just 0.05mm, they announced that it was "thinner than paper". They also showcased a 40 inch OLED TV with full HD resolution of 1920x1080. Currently, their Samsung Galaxy S uses the latest AMOLED Display.

Not to be outdone, Sony is also releasing its OLED based products. Their PlayStation Vita handheld game console will feature a 5-inch OLED screen. LG Electronics has also announced a 55 inch prototype for 2012.

It will be just a matter of time when we see lighting products with this technology.

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