This is an article from
Popular Mechanics. I don't know how old it is, but I don't think I've read something like this before. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thinking.gif[/img]
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Really Cool Light Bulbs
BY STEFANO COLEDAN
Images by Sandia National Laboratories
The images show the filaments' structures with and without tungsten deposits, respectively. The spacing of the tungsten rods helps to transmit mainly visible light.
Future light bulbs will produce a lot more light than heat and will help slash our electrical bills, too. To make that possible, researchers at Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, N.M., have come up with a replacement for common tungsten filament. Made of so-called tungsten lattice, the new filament comes, in part, as a spinoff of semiconductor technology.
The material is a mix of different silicon crystals interspersed with tungsten particles added as vapor deposits. By converting heat into visible light, the filament's crystallized structure prevents most of the electrical energy from going to waste. The savings will be astounding, scientists promise. In fact, the new bulbs' efficiency will jump from the mere 5 percent of current incandescent filaments to more than 60 percent.
Besides making light bulbs burn much cooler--which will prevent many burned fingers--the drastically lower energy consumption will help protect the environment from unnecessary power production.
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