Posted on 12/03/2012 8:54:16 AM PST by LibWhacker
Scientists at the Wake Forest University have created a new type of light bulb that promises to be just as efficient as LED equivalents, but without any of the drawbacks. The new field-induced polymer electroluminescent bulbs — FIPEL for short — produce light when an electric current is passed through the nano-engineered plastic layers. The team says that the new type of bulbs are malleable, allowing them to take any shape like compact fluorescent lamps. They also won’t shatter like traditional bulbs, nor will they generate the same hum or flicker.
The inventor of FIPEL, Dr David Carroll, believes that the new solution is superior to LED bulbs: "There's a limit to how much brightness you can get out of them. If you run too much current through them they melt." Not only that, the light generated by FIPEL bulbs is closer to natural sunlight, unlike the bluish tint generated by LEDs. Any worries about longevity are also put to rest by Carroll, who claims to have had a FIPEL prototype working in his laboratory for almost a decade. As for when the technology will make the jump to a commercial product, the team says that a "corporate partner" is interested in producing the new bulbs at scale, with the first run expected in 2013.
Won’t be allowed unless he gives GE the patent.
interesting, and to bad he apparently knows nothing about LEDs.
Give me the same temp and wattage of an incandescent or go home...
Uniformly, the quality of light from every CFL and LED I’ve tried has sucked. It’s either too cool and antiseptic, or not bright enough period...
He has had one for a decade and it still hasn’t hit the marget, I wonder why.
For those interested in the tech side of this:
Effect of multi-walled carbon nanotubes on electron injection and charge generation in AC field-induced polymer electroluminescence
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1566119912004831
Plastic = Oil = Carbon Tax = not affordable.
It appears the problem lies with the blogger who copied pieces from the original article combining sections talking about organic LEDs and left that description out.
Plastic bulb development promises better quality light
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-20553143
I've seen a lot of bright, beautiful LED bulbs in Asia. Ours are way overpriced and somewhat weak - and I suspect there is some government regulation or another behind that.
The bulbs you are seeing in Asia, will probably hit the US market in the spring of 2014.
Part of the reason these bulbs are in Europe and Asia first is apparently the base for the bulb on their lamps are easier to produce than the screw in base we have.
The first bulbs will probably be 75 or 100 W equivalent for about $10 with a fifteen year life.
They will be white light.
I bought a Christmas electric blanket with small light bulbs that don’t get hot.
How sweet it is!
Getting more than a little tired of that...
See, get gummint out of the role of telling us what kind of light bulbs are best, and something better comes along.
It’s called innovation. Private business does it.
But will they make me sick like LEDs do? :P
The E-type base ('Edison screw') is pretty much universal.
Great..how’s *this* going to help my Easy Bake Oven???
Low cost must not be a selling point since it’s not mentioned in the first or second paragraph?
Yes, my church just installed LED lighting and the color and brightness are indistinguishable from the incandescent lamps they replaced.
that’s because the marget is always left of the target...
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