LEDs 60 percent Brighter inspired by Fireflys (1)

A LED that mimics the three-layered structure of a firefly’s lantern, shines 60% brighter than previous designs.

Scientists from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology, created a new organic LED (light-emitting diode), by installing a nano-structured lens on top of the surface of a normal LED.

They discovered that the outside of a firefly’s lantern, has a fine surface of tiles, allowing more light to be emitted.

Above: A organic LED with a coating that mimics the surface of a firefly lantern, shines 60% brighter than a standard green LED.   Credit: Nano Lett.

We report on the unique optical function of the hierarchical ultrastructures found in a firefly (Pyrocoelia rufa) and their biological inspiration of highly efficient organic light-emitting diode (OLED) applications. The hierarchical structures are comprised of longitudinal nanostructures and asymmetric microstructures, which were successfully replicated using geometry-guided resist reflow, replica molding, and polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) oxidation. The external quantum efficiency (EQE) of the bioinspired OLEDs was enhanced by up to 61%.

via gizmodo

source Nano Letters