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Photonic Structure Increases Light Bulb Efficiency

Posted by Hemos on from the bulb-bulb-burning-bright dept.

An Anonymous Coward writes "A new experimental microscopic tungsten lattice can increase the efficiency of an incandescent electric bulb from 5 percent to greater than 60 percent. This is done by converting waste heat into visible light. "

8 of 226 comments (clear)

  1. Or you could just buy a flourescent by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Here now, 600% more efficient than normal bulbs and also getting very cheap. They also switch on more gradually, making them less painful on the eyes.

  2. Re:Question by nicktook · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Seems to me the heat does not build up. That seems to be the point. Obviously some heat is produced but if the filament does not get very hot then the tungsten should not evaporate. The bulb may have a very long life.

    The article leaves a lot of unanswered questions. I suspect the scientists are more interested in the phenomemom than its practicality.

  3. Night vision by GigsVT · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This would make for an incredibly cheap and effective night vision system with a small battery and a CCD camera. IR floodlight with 60% efficiency... mmmmmm.

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  4. Life Span of Bulb... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

    What is the projected lifespan? The only way a technology such as this would be accepted by big manufactures is if they have a short life span. Think about the millions of light bulbs that burn out every day and the $$$ companies such as GE & Westinghouse generate in replacements.

  5. nice, but no solution to energy problem by j09824 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    This is great work. But if people want high-efficiency, pleasant-looking light-bulbs, they can already get them and save money in the process. The fact that people don't buy them despite all their advantages suggests that the problem isn't technology, it's people.

  6. Re:Question by 26199 · · Score: 2, Insightful

    I think you'll find operating in the infra-red range was the point - it absorbs what's in the infra-red range, which is good, because that's what you want to get rid of.

    The absorbed energy can then be re-emitted at visible wavelengths...

  7. Projector Bulbs by aaarrrgggh · · Score: 2, Insightful

    The reason we use incandescent lamps for projectors is that you need a point source to be able to focus the image. A flourescent source is too large (a 13W biax lamp would need to be 60" away from a projector to focus the image!), but metal halide lamps work well for high wattages.

    What is amazing is that this is about 3x more efficient than flourescent or High Intensity Discharge lamps! That doesn't quite sound possible... but that is what they are saying!

  8. Color? by Shook · · Score: 2, Insightful
    I wonder what these lights would look like. Some of our more efficient lights (like sodium) have colors nowhere near natural sunlight. There's plenty of niche markets for different lighting sources. Colored LED's for signals, flourescent for efficient indoor lighting, orange/pinkish sodium lights for outdoors.

    I think the color of the light produced would be very important for its potential uses.