Wake Forest University researchers have created a new type of lighting that doesn’t buzz or flicker like fluorescent office lights. Based on field-induced polymer electroluminescent (FIPEL) technology, the shatterproof alternative gives off a soft white light similar to sunlight rather than a garishly bright glint.

It is made of three layers of moldable white-emitting polymer blended with a small amount of nanomaterials that glow when stimulated. This new lighting solution is at least twice as efficient as compact fluorescent bulbs and on par with LEDs. David Carroll, professor of physics and director of the Center for Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials, said:

People often complain that fluorescent lights bother their eyes, and the hum from the fluorescent tubes irritates anyone sitting at a desk underneath them. The new lights we have created can cure both of those problems and more.

The lights are also long-lasting, as Carroll claims he has one that has worked for around a decade. Wake Forest University is currently working with a company to manufacture the technology and there are plans to bring it to consumers next year.

Wake Forest University