Scientists propose new hypothesis on the origin of life

The Miller-Urey experiment, conducted by chemists Stanley Miller and Harold Urey in 1953, is the classic experiment on the origin of life. It established that the early Earth atmosphere, as they pictured it, was capable of ...

NREL Finds a Way to Give LEDs the Green Light

(PhysOrg.com) -- Light bulbs that last 100 years and fill rooms with brilliant ambiance may become a reality sooner rather than later, thanks to a National Renewable Energy Laboratory discovery.

Researchers find potential new source of rare earth elements

Researchers have found a possible new source of rare earth elements—phosphate rock waste—and an environmentally friendly way to get them out, according to a study published in the Journal of Chemical Thermodynamics.

Adding memory to pressure-sensitive phosphors

Mechanoluminescence (ML) is a type of luminescence induced by any mechanical action on a solid, leading to a range of applications in materials research, photonics and optics. For instance, the mechanical action can release ...

World phosphorous use crosses critical threshold

(PhysOrg.com) -- Recalculating the global use of phosphorous, a fertilizer linchpin of modern agriculture, a team of researchers warns that the world's stocks may soon be in short supply and that overuse in the industrialized ...

Positron luminescence outshines that of electrons

In old cathode ray TVs, a picture is generated when an electron beam excites a phosphor screen, causing the phosphor to radiate light. Now in a new study, researchers have found that a beam of positrons (positively charged ...

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Phosphor

A phosphor, most generally, is a substance that exhibits the phenomenon of luminescence. Somewhat confusingly, this includes both phosphorescent materials, which show a slow decay in brightness (>1ms), and fluorescent materials, where the emission decay takes place over tens of nanoseconds. Phosphorescent materials are known for their use in radar screens and glow-in-the-dark toys, whereas fluorescent materials are common in CRT and plasma video display screens, sensors, and white LEDs.

Phosphors are often transition metal compounds or rare earth compounds of various types. The most common uses of phosphors are in CRT displays and fluorescent lights. CRT phosphors were standardized beginning around World War II and designated by the letter "P" followed by a number.

Phosphorus, the chemical element named for its light-emitting behavior, emits light due to chemiluminescence, not phosphorescence.

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