Scientists develop the world's thinnest light bulb

Imagine a light bulb made from something thinner than paper, but stronger than any other material known to man. Seems impossible — except it isn't.

A group of scientists from Columbia University, Seoul National University and the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science announced on Monday that they successfully developed a light bulb made out of graphene — material that's only as thick as an atom, but strong as a diamond. Indeed, graphene is considered the world's strongest material.

While the use of graphene to develop light bulbs is very modern, the scientists are approaching it using an old-school principle. They put electrical currents through strips of graphene attached to metal electrodes, and suspended them over the substrate; this causes the graphene to heat up and produce lightIt's the same thing as the glowing filament in traditional incandescent light bulbs, except on a microscopic scale. Read more...