KISS: New LED technology keeping things simple

August 31, 2015 | By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

Traditionally, LED (light emitting diode) lighting has not lived up to the hype when it comes to energy savings, but a new development coming out of Florida State University (FSU) could change that.

Credit: Nattakit

LED lighting is already sold in stores, but widespread adoption has been slow because of quality and the costs associated with the material.

A new highly efficient, low-cost LED developed by FSU Assistant Professor of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering Zhibin Yu could help spur more widespread adoption of the technology.

"It can potentially revolutionize lighting technology," said Yu. "In general, the cost of LED lighting has been a big concern thus far. Energy savings have not balanced out high costs. This could change that."

Yu developed this new LED technology using a combination of organic and inorganic materials. The materials, which dissolve and can be applied like paint, shine a blue, green or red light and can be used to make a light bulb.

Plus, Yu said, it is far simpler to manufacture than existing products on the market.

Most LED materials require engineers to put four or five layers of material on top of each other to create the desired product or effect. Yu's material requires only one layer.

"In the future, to do manufacturing, it's a big challenge if you have to deal with multiple layers," Yu said.

The research has garnered an award by the National Science Foundation to further investigate the essential materials and establish the processing platform for the development of intrinsically stretchable, active-matrix organic LED displays. The research is crucial to the development of LED technology, which is fast becoming an avenue to reduce the country's electric consumption.

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