LEDs provide consumers with many benefits and advantages, but there are still some drawbacks that need to be worked out. Inventors David Horn and Chris Vogdes have released a patent (no. 8558436) for one problem in particular that they hope to counter, which is the contamination that can occur in the thermally-conducive liquid in some LEDs.

Since LED bulbs act as semiconductors, they can produce a lot of heat. To try and reduce the heat, thermally-conducive liquid will be added inside the bulbs to draw the heat away from the LED towards the bulb shell and then disperse it into the air. Unfortunately, during the process the liquid can become contaminated with organics and other materials.

To reduce the amount of contamination within the LED, a scavenger element is attached to the base of the bulb exposing it to the liquid in order to capture any contaminations inside.  “The scavenger element is attached in a location that allows the thermally-conductive fluid to circulate through the scavenger material via passive convective flow,” an Electronics Newsweekly article cited one of the inventors remarking.