Graphene Light Bulb in UK Market Soon
The first commercially available consumer product using graphene will
soon be available in the UK — in the form of a light bulb coated in the
much-hyped material.
The graphene light bulb — which reportedly will reduce electricity
use by around 10%, and will last longer than a conventional LED bulb —
is currently expected to go on sale later this year for around £15 a
pop.
The improved performance of the dimmable bulb is reportedly due to
the increased conductivity (electricity + heat) accompanying the use of
graphene. The design was the work of a company dubbed Graphene Lighting —
which has as one of its directors the deputy vice-chancellor at the
University of Manchester, Professor Colin Bailey.
Professor Bailey noted in an interview with the BBC:
“The graphene light bulb will use less energy. We expect it to last
longer. The manufacturing costs are lower and it uses more and more
sustainable components.”
Considering that graphene was first “discovered” by researchers at
the University of Manchester — researchers (and Nobel Prize winners)
Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov, back in 2004 — the launch by a
company associated with those at the university makes sense.
As it stands, over 35 different companies (from all over the world)
currently have development partnerships with the university concerning
technologies/products utilizing graphene — from use in solar PV cells, to electric vehicles, to energy storage. While there’s a great deal of hype surrounding the use of graphene,
economical use of the technology is still something of an open question
— as it is somewhat expensive for the time being and challenging to manufacture. Though, improvements in that regard are reportedly fast approaching.
Image Credit: University of Manchester
Courtesy: CleanTechnica
