Technology developed at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge1 National Laboratory that extends the life of light-emitting diode lamps has been licensed2 to LED North America. The agreement signed today exclusively（唯一地，专有地） licenses3 a graphite（石墨） foam4 technology developed by James Klett of ORNL's Materials Science and Technology Division. LED North America intends to use the graphite foam（泡沫，水沫） to passively cool components5 in LED lamps, which are increasingly in demand in applications such as street lights and parking garage lighting6. LED North America specializes in providing LED lighting products for municipal（市政的） , commercial and industrial applications.
Cooling LED lamps is critical to increasing their efficiency, considering that each 10-degree decrease in temperature can double the life of the lighting components. Using graphite foam to more efficiently7 manage the heat of LEDs could help extend the lamp's lifespan（寿命，生命值） and lower its price, making the lamps more attractive to a broader consumer base. ORNL's James Klett hopes the graphite foam can offer potential savings8 for customers.
"While this technology will reduce temperatures and increase the life of the LED lighting systems, what it will really do is save municipalities millions of dollars every year in replacement9 fixture10 costs as well as maintenance（维修，保持） ," Klett said.
The newly licensed graphite foam invention offers many advantages over comparable heat sink materials such as copper11 and aluminum12. Graphite foam's high thermal13 conductivity, low weight and easy machinability give the material greater design flexibility14 and make it a lighter15, cheaper and more efficient cooling option.
The foam's unusual graphite crystal structure is the key to its conductivity. It has a skeletal structure full of air pockets（气陷，气穴） , making it only 25 percent dense16 and lightweight. The network of ligaments（韧带） in the foam wicks heat away from its source, making it an excellent candidate to cool the LED lamp components.
Championed as an energy saving lighting source, LEDs are becoming more widespread due to their low energy consumption, compact size and long life expectancy17. Improved LED performance will enable LED North America to offer longer warranty18 periods than its competitors.
LED North America's relationship with ORNL helped prompt Andrew Wilhelm, one of the company's founders19, to locate the company in Tech 2020, a business incubator（孵卵器，保温箱） in Oak Ridge.
"The proximity20 to ORNL gives the us the opportunity to work closely with ORNL researchers to further refine the integration21（集成，综合） of the graphite foam material into LED lamps," Wilhelm said.
收听单词发音 
