Research Opens Doors To UV Disinfection Using LED Technology For
Immediate Release Research from North Carolina State University
will allow the development of energy-efficient LED devices that
use ultraviolet (UV) light to kill pathogens such as bacteria
and viruses. The technology has a wide array of applications
ranging from drinking-water treatment to sterilizing surgical
tools. “UV treatment utilizing LEDs would be more cost-
effective, energy efficient and longer lasting,” says Dr. Ramón
Collazo, an assistant professor of materials science and
engineering at NC State and lead author of a paper describing
the research. “Our work would also allow for the development of
robust and portable water-treatment technologies for use in
developing countries.” LEDs utilize aluminum nitride (AlN) as a
semiconductor, because the material can handle a lot of power
and create light in a wide spectrum of colors, particularly in
the UV range. However, technologies that use AlN LEDs to create
UV light have been severely lim