[Wonder Warthog]

Exactly what is supposed to be "new" here?? "White" LEDs (actually blue semiconductor LEDs with added phosphor) have been around for quite a while now. Is it the magic buzz-word "nano-", or perhaps "quantum dot"??

All these guys appear to have done is come up with a different formula for the phosphor mix---why is it so much better????

[solitas]

All these guys appear to have done is come up with a different formula for the phosphor mix---why is it so much better????

Because they're stretching to get their names in the paper Since few people really know how a white LED works they're more likely to think this stuff is 'hot-$h¡†-on-toast' and it'll make all the news shows and science magazines.

[kpp_kpp]

was wondering the same thing. not sure this helps but found it here: http://www.physorg.com/news7421.html

[kpp_kpp]

also this:

"The Vanderbilt researchers are the first to report making quantum dots that spontaneously emit white light, but they aren’t the first to report using quantum dots to produce hybrid, white-light LEDs. The other reports – one by a group at the University of St. Andrews in Scotland and one by a group at Sandia National Laboratories – describe achieving this effect by adding additional compounds that interact with the tiny crystals to produce a white-light spectrum. The magic-sized quantum dots, by contrast, produce white light without any extra chemical treatment: The full spectrum emission is an intrinsic effect. "