At present, the application of LED has become very popular, even in ordinary people's homes. But if you think that LED can only be used in information products and daily life, then you will completely underestimate the development potential of LED. Studies have shown that LED lighting also has great potential in agriculture, but for its development, it may also need the help of boron nitride materials.

Application of LED in indoor agriculture

The reason why LEDs are being considered for agriculture is mainly due to world population growth and climate change. In the past few decades, more and more cultivated land has disappeared, so people need more innovative forms of agriculture to replace this lost productivity, so "urban farming" has been formally proposed.

“Urban farming” mainly refers to the reuse of abandoned underground tunnels or bunkers, as well as the roofs and walls of buildings, for cultivation. However, the growth of plants requires the participation of sunlight. Without light, it cannot convert it into chemical energy, store it in the form of sugar, and then use this energy for growth. In addition, part of the absorbed light can also be used as an environmental signal factor to participate in regulating a series of plant growth and development behaviors, such as seed germination, morphogenesis, flowering, and the synthesis of secondary metabolites.

Simply put, light is indispensable for the growth of plants. Without light, "urban farming" can only become a utopia. In order to supplement this key element, LED lighting systems are used to replace light sources. When the light frequency is properly controlled, plant growth can even be optimized, thereby producing more plants, improving yield, and reducing harmful substances. Moreover, this method can also adjust the color and flavor of the crop. UV LEDs also protect plants from microorganisms, spores and bacteria.

Temperature too high? Boron nitride comes to the rescue

Because it can replace sunlight, LED plant lights are called the "sun" indoors. However, on the one hand, this sun shows its role, and on the other hand, it also seems to imply that it is "very hot." Although LED lights are much more efficient than traditional halogen bulbs, the theoretical total electro-optical conversion efficiency is only 54%, and any omissions in the manufacturing process and any defects in the materials will also cause a further decrease in its energy conversion efficiency. Therefore, In practical applications, a large amount of electrical energy will be released in the form of heat energy, causing LED lights to become real "little suns" - in the long run, this will affect the life of LED lights.

When the LED chip temperature exceeds 140°C, its life will be greatly shortened

In order for "LED suns" to function properly and extend their life as much as possible, effective heat dissipation management is required. Among all solutions, using thermally conductive plastics with uniform heat dissipation and light weight into LED heat dissipation components, such as lamp holders, cooling heat dissipation lamp cups and shells, is currently one of the most respected methods.

Since most polymer materials themselves are thermally insulating materials, in order to obtain excellent thermal conductivity materials, one is to manufacture polymer materials with high thermal conductivity (intrinsic thermally conductive polymers); the other is to polymerize polymers through blending methods. Filling modification to form composite materials to improve the thermal conductivity of the polymer. Relatively speaking, the latter is easier to implement, so it is the current mainstream approach.

Since composite materials have been chosen to improve the thermal conductivity of plastics, the choice of filler has become key. Among them, hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) filler is very suitable for use in thermally conductive plastics. It has excellent electrical insulation, excellent chemical stability and excellent dielectric properties. If the material properties are maintained, its heat dissipation index is as high as 15 W/m∙K. In addition to the above, hBN also has the following advantages for the processing of thermoplastics:

①hBN is smooth and frictionless, which can greatly reduce the wear of injection molding and extrusion equipment and effectively extend the service life of the equipment;

②hBN is white, and the plastic composite material has a white and clean appearance and can provide a high level of light reflection;

③hBN has low density. Low density helps to minimize the weight of components and enables the manufacture of lightweight plastic compounds.

In addition, hBN can be designed to be easily redirected to any direction, allowing controlled heat dissipation in vertical or horizontal directions.

The special application industry of agricultural plant supplementary lighting is in the ascendant. The control function of the LED lighting system is enhanced, so that the cultivation of crops can not be restricted and affected by the four seasons of light, and the threat of pests and diseases is reduced. The market potential is considerable, and it is a great development opportunity for boron nitride. Relevant practitioners can also pay more attention to it!