Skip to main content

Light-scattering nanoparticles help LEDs mimic sunlight like never before

Lighting has come a long way in the past few years, but even with all the technological advances that have been made, we still haven’t managed to mimic real daylight with much accuracy. We can cheat and use special lights to help plants grow, and we’ve got all sorts of lights that can change their color temperature to suit our moods, but no matter how we tweak it, artificial light still just doesn’t feel quite the the same as real, natural light.

Thanks to a recent breakthrough, however, this might not be the case in the future.

Soon, you’ll be able to call up natural-looking daylight with the flip of a switch, thanks to a newly-developed lighting panel that uses nanoparticles to create something similar to actual daylight. In the future, this might make it possible to produce something close to natural light in even the most dank, windowless interiors.

The technology, developed by Paolo di Trapani at the University of Insubria, relies on a panel of white LEDs that shine through a clear plastic panel studded with nanoparticles that are invisible to the naked eye. These tiny particles serve to scatter the light in the same way that Earth’s atmosphere does with sunlight, which makes it feel more realistic.

Most of the previous efforts have focused on developing light sources with the same spectrum as the Sun, but this is the first ever tech that accounts for the fact that the light we perceive as “natural” is a result of not only the spectrum of the sun, but also how light interacts with the sky itself.

By strategically peppering a clear polymer sheet with titanium dioxide nanoparticles, di Trapani and his team managed to accurately mimic the physics of Rayleigh scattering — the process by which air molecules scatter the sun’s radiation. The prototype panel, which is 5.9 feet long and 33.5 inches wide, makes use of two different sizes of nanoparticles positioned in different sections of the plastic to separate light into certain wavelengths. White light from the LED array is diffused into “sky-light”, where blue wavelengths are dominant, and a bright yellow spot of warm, yellowish light serves to mimic the Sun. The team has even developed different panels to simulate other outdoor light conditions — everything from a bright sunny day, to a colorful, glowing sunset.

You can’t install one of these lights in your house just yet, but di Trapani and his team plan to market the panels through a University of Insubria spin-off company called CoeLux, and hope to start mass producing them within the next year or two.

[via NewScientist]

Drew Prindle
Former Senior Editor, Features
Drew Prindle is an award-winning writer, editor, and storyteller who currently serves as Senior Features Editor for Digital…
Can smart lights help with seasonal affective disorder?
Ring Smart Bulb being installed in light fixture.

Once the days start shortening and cities start getting buried in snow, you may be feeling a little bit down. Getting that much less sunlight throws people for a loop. After months of these conditions in northern climes, it can be downright depressing. Specialized lighting has long been held as an antidote for this seasonal affective disorder, but can everyday smart lights rise to the task?

Hint: Yes -- but maybe not in the way you think.

Read more
The best LED light bulbs for 2022
A person reading next to smart light bulb.

LED bulbs are the way to go for a "smarter" smart home. While some bulbs and bulb kits may be a bit of an investment upfront, the cash you'll save in the long run, combined with many of the great lighting features and added security your home will net, will make your lumens upgrade well worth it.

Whether you want to be able to match your lighting to your mood, use a “daylight” feature, or change colors on the fly, we found bulbs that serve your needs. If you need a multipack to transition from outdated light bulbs, we've got you covered. Read on for our favorite LED bulb options of the year.
Cree A19 Bulb
Best LED bulb

Read more
Get double the length at half the cost on these smart LED strip lights today
Govee smart LED light strips on floor.

When shopping for smart LED light strips, you should pay extra attention to how much length you’ll have to work with, because the last thing you want is to realize you’re coming up short on decorating whatever it is you intend on adorning with an LED light strip.

That’s why you really need to know about this deal on Govee’s smart LED strip lights. While most LED strip lights are on average of 30 feet in length, Govee’s model is nearly double at an astounding 65 feet. If you’ve ever tried decorating a piece of furniture, say like your home office desk, you know how much coverage is needed to cover corners and edges properly. Best of all, this Black Friday deal brings down the cost to $25 -- which is unbelievable given how most 30-foot options cost around the same.

Read more