Toyoda Gosei Co., Ltd. (president: Tokio Horigome) has developed a new purple LED (light-emitting diode) and with it the world's first "LED photo-deodorizing air cleaner."

The new LED, dubbed –TG Purple,” is a gallium nitride-based compound semiconductor with a light wavelength of 380-nanometers.* In Toyoda Gosei's LED photo-deodorizing air cleaners, the combination of TG Purple with an oxidized titanium-based photocatalyst has enabled markedly improved and longer-lasting deodorizing performance. The switch to an LED light source and the use of multi-blade radial fans also make the new air cleaner quieter and more compact than previous types.

Sales of the new-breed air cleaners are already under way following a tie-up with Toyota Motor Corporation to equip them in the new-model Toyota Mark II, released in October this year. Toyoda Gosei plans to expand sales of the air cleaner to other vehicle models and to apply the technology to air-cleaning devices for home use.

TG Purple is also slated for further applications, including with photocatalysts in other deodorizing and anti-bacterial devices; as a light source for inspection and testing equipment; and in combination with fluorescent substances for various kinds of lighting equipment.

* 1 nanometer = 1/1,000,000 millimeter