Interesting technology - FIPEL

From the Canadian Broadcasting Company:

Scientists invent flicker-free, shatterproof light bulb
U.S. scientists have developed a new kind of light bulb � one that is long-lasting, flicker-free and shatterproof.

Researchers at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C., hope that the new technology will replace fluorescent lamps, those white tubes widely used in offices, stores and even homes.

"People often complain that fluorescent lights bother their eyes," said David Carroll, the professor leading the project, "and the hum from the fluorescent tubes irritates anyone sitting at a desk underneath them."

The new light is based on technology called field-induced polymer electroluminescence, or FIPEL. It's made of three layers of a white-emitting polymer that is blended with a small amount of nano-particles which glow when an electric current is passed through them.

The resulting light is similar to the soft, white glow of sunlight that human eyes prefer. (In contrast, fluorescent bulbs have a yellowish cast and LEDs emit a bluish tinge, possibly triggering headaches in some people.)

The new technology is described in the latest issue of Organic Electronics.

The FIPEL lights are at least twice as efficient as compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs, which have risen in popularity in Canada since the government announced a ban on incandescent bulbs.

Unlike CFL bulbs, FIPEL technology is shatterproof and mercury-free, which means toxic contamination won't be a concern.

Very cool -- electroluminescence has been with us for a long long time but they were never able to get it very bright. More a lab curiosity than a useful light source.