Scientists Made LEDs 60 Percent Brighter By Copying Firefly Lanterns

A team of researchers has managed to boost the amount of light an LED emits by 60 percent simply by shaping its outer surface to resemble the outside of a firefly’s lantern. Researchers from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science & Technology have created the new organic LED by creating a nano-structured lens that sits on top of the surface of an otherwise normal LED. The researchers discovered that the outside of a firefly’s lantern features a fine surface of tiles, which reduces the difference between the refractive index of its body and the surrounding air. In turn, that allows more light to be emitted.