Philips, STW introduce research program for better LED lighting
Of the eight projects already approved five are related to the exploration of new materials, the improvement of efficiency and the optimization of sustainable production of LEDs. The three remaining projects will examine how LED lighting can be used for health and energy savings, more efficient algae growth for biomass production and improved fruit quality.
In the project “Multi-megahertz switched-capacitator integrated LED drivers (Mega-LED)”, Eugenio Cantatore from the Eindhoven University of Technology, will develop LED drivers on which all the necessary components are integrated, make external components as small as possible and the stabilize the power supply so that even powerful 100W lamps may be possible.
Jos Haverkort, also from the Eindhoven University of Technology conducts the project “Exploring direct-bandgap AlGaP nanowires for direct white emission sources (Green NanoLED)”. The objective is to develop aluminum gallium phosphide (AlGaP) nanowires with a direct band gap, and hence high optical quality, and to demonstrate this by means of a green LED. This development aims to contribute to the development of white LED light without the need to use phosphor and of LEDs that can be set in RGB colors.
The project "Cadmium-free all-inorganic quantum dots as down-conversion LED phosphors (CadFrinDot)” will deal with the development of inorganic indium phosphide-based quantum dots for converting to longer-wave light in LEDs. Colloidal quantum dots are regarded as ideal candidates to replace today’s (red) phosphors in LEDs as they can considerably increase LEDs’ efficiency. Existing quantum dot phosphors have disadvantages, however: they are cadmium-based, do not lead to stable photoluminescence in the long term, and they are difficult to build into the required matrix material. Arjan Houtepen from the Delft University of Technology oversees this project which aims for alternatives to cadmium-based LED materials.
“Local efficiency and directivity mapping and manipulation (LEDMAP)” is thename of a project addressing the simultaneous optimization of numerous factors using innovative nanostructures in LEDs. Prof. Femius Koenderink, FOM Institute for Atomic and Molecular Physics in Amsterdam oversees this project.
“A new ray-trace method for optical design”, managed by Jan ten Thije Boonkkamp from the Eindhoven University of Technology, deals about ray-tracing, a common simulation technique in optical design. The objective of this project is to combine this technique with visualization of the phase space of the optical system. This makes it possible to split the phase space into a small number of ray sets. The new method will make the design of optical systems better, faster and cheaper. This will give rise to shorter development times for new prototypes of lamps and light sources that use LEDs.
Leo Marcelis from Wageningen University & Research Center gets granular on “Healthy fruits by localised LED lights on fruits”. Recent research has shown that LED light on growing tomato fruits doubles their vitamin C content. The objective of this project is to understand exactly how that happens and to develop a practical lighting strategy for increasing the vitamin C content in fruits.
“Dynamic LED lighting, thermal comfort, health, and energy savings in buildings” is the name of a project overseen by Wouter van Marken Lichtenbelt from the Maastricht University. Experiencing a pleasant temperature does not depend on temperature alone. Light is also an important factor in this. LED lighting makes it possible to manipulate the color, intensity and dynamics of the light. This project will examine the interaction between light incidence, thermal comfort and the energy consumption of the human body.
Hans Matthijs from the University of Amsterdam will find out whether pulsed LED lighting can bring about improved processing of excited electrons and therefore increase photosynthesis efficiency. The background: Algae are becoming more important as a future source of biomass and animal feed. The process of converting energy from sunlight by algae and plants however is rather inefficient: some 93-99% of the energy captured is lost. The electrons excited by light are only processed slowly in the reaction centers for photosynthesis. Hence, pulsed illumination could improve the effectiveness of the process. The name of the Hans Matthijs’ project is “Modulated LED lamps for improved light integration in algal culture (LEDitGrow)”.
The five-year program has a budged of 3 million euros. Each of the partners contributes 50%. First results can be expected in 2014.
If you enjoyed this article, you will like the following ones: don't miss them by subscribing to :
