A Better Lightbulb

The earliest lightbulbs heated carbon filaments until they glowed. Scientists experimented with other metals, such as platinum and tungsten. However, the output of incandescent bulbs has remained pretty much unchanged since the late 1800's. A better bulb may be in the works now, thanks to research performed at Sandia Lab which shows that tungsten lattices emit considerably more energy than solid tungsten filaments. In the more immediate future, the tungsten photonic crystal may be used to supply the photovoltaic cells powering many electrical devices.
Read the Article|History of the Lightbulb