A strategy towards the next generation of low pressure discharge lamps: lighting after mercury

In this paper we describe the design of a strategy based on a number of selection rules that could potentially lead us to the identification of materials that will replace mercury and play the role of the active medium in low pressure discharge lamps. The selection rules focus on the emission and thermodynamic characteristics of species as well as safety considerations and the strategy is by no means a complete solution but a logical approach to the solution based on available sources and databases. We experimentally test the first candidates with promising results and we describe trends seen in the periodic table in terms of emissions and the limitations posed by the stoichiometry of the plasma reactions.