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April 14, 2006
OLEDs to Replace Light Bulbs...and Window Glass?
According to The Register, some University of Southern California researchers have invented a new way to long-lasting white light out of organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs).
Given that they have lower power requirements than even the most miserly compact fluorescents and last upwards of five years, the obvious application is as a better light "bulb" (although "panel" would probably be a better term).
However, given that OLEDs are "transparent when switched off," you could conceivably replace window glass with OLED panels that would pass natural light through from outside during the day and generate their own light at night. Of course, the transparency of the OLED panel isn't near that of glass, so it might make more sense to intersperse OLED areas with glass areas, but you get the point.
Now THAT sounds pretty appealing!
Posted by Craig in Technology