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From DVICE:
When you are looking at better ways to make something glow, what
better place to look than one of nature's signature glowing critters,
the firefly?
Scientists in South Korea have studied the nanostructure of the
firefly's glowing belly to create a more efficient lens for LEDs that
allows up to 98 percent more light to pass through.
Using an electron microscope, Ki-Hun Jeong of the Korea Advanced
Institute of Science examined the firefly's exoskeleton. They found the
insect's glowing abdomen or "lantern" was divided into three parts,
similar to how LED bulbs
are constructed - a reflective cup and a lens sandwiching the light
source. Firefly's lanterns have a similar reflective layer, a light
emitting layer and a cuticle or outer shell.
The key difference between current LEDs and the fireflies was the
scientists found the firefly to have ordered ridges on that outer shell
or exoskeleton that surrounded the lighted parts of the abdomen. These
ridges allow the light wavelength to pass through the firefly lanterns
more effectively.
Read the whole article
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