Using graphene, which consists of a single layer of carbon atoms, Swedish and American researchers have succeeded in producing a new type of lighting component that is inexpensive to produce and can be fully recycled.
The invention paves the way for glowing wallpaper made entirely of plastic.
While organic LEDS which have been in the news (OLED) consist of a light-generating layer of plastic placed between two electrodes (one transparent) they have two drawbacks -- they are relatively expensive to produce, and the transparent electrode consists of the metal alloy indium tin oxide. Indium is rare and the alloy has a complicated life cycle.
Graphene has high conductivity, is virtually transparent, and can moreover be produced as a solution in the form of graphene oxide.
The alternative to OLEDs, an organic light-emitting electrochemical cell (LEC) makes use of graphene for the transparent electrode. By using graphene instead of conventional metal electrodes, components of the future will be much easier to recycle and thereby environmentally attractive.
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1 comment:
But isn't painting a whole wall with 'light' paint a waste, when you look at how lighting these days is going more into discrete task lighting?
Good blog.
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