A lighting technology from RTI is more energy efficient than the common incandescent light bulb and does not contain mercury, making it environmentally safer than the compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulb. At the core of the technology is an advanced nanofiber structure that provides exceptional lighting management. Nanofibers are materials with diameters and surface features much smaller than the human hair, but with comparable lengths.

RTI’s technology — which was funded in part by the Department of Energy’s Solid-State Lighting program — centers around advancements in the nanoscale properties of materials to create high-performance, nanofiber-based reflectors and photoluminescent nanofibers (PLN). When the two nanoscale technologies are combined, a high-efficiency lighting device is produced that is capable of generating in excess of 55 lumens of light output per electrical watt consumed. This efficiency is more than five times greater than that of traditional incandescent bulbs.

RTI’s technology produces an aesthetically pleasing light with better color rendering properties than is typically found in CFLs. The technology has demonstrated color rendering indices in excess of 90 for warm white, neutral white, and cool white illumination sources.

RTI is continuing development of this technology and is actively pursuing commercialization opportunities in the marketplace.



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Lighting Technology Magazine

This article first appeared in the March, 2010 issue of Lighting Technology Magazine.

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