Hybrid Light Shines Longer With Less Energy

Previous LEC models took minutes to reach full illumination, which is not useful if you are in a dark room. They also died more quickly. By developing a hybrid light the researchers solved both of these problems.

LEDs use fast and very tiny electrons to create light. LECs create light by rearranging bulkier and slower atoms that have gained or lost an electron, known as ions.

When an electrical switch is flicked on the hybrid light, electrons flow immediately along metal barium and light up the material. After about 20 minutes though a transition occurs. Iron ions separate and start creating light instead of the barium electrons.

"Before the transition it's an LED," said Shao. "After the transition it is an LEC."

Since the hybrid still needs the metal barium it won't be as easy to manufacture as a pure LEC, but "it's not any harder to make than an LED," said Shao.

"They [LECs] will compete with traditional LEDs," said Qibing Pei, a scientist at the University of California, Los Angeles who was not involved in the research. "Traditional LEDs are not suitable for high-resolution information display such as TV sets. The LECs can be."

Related Links:

Eric Bland's blog: What the Tech?

How Stuff Works: Light Emitting Diodes