Scientists have developed an entirely new light bulb that could potentially replace the typical buzzing, fluorescent lights in offices and commercial spaces.

The team at Wake Forest University said on Monday it has created a lighting solution twice as efficient as traditional fluorescent bulbs that don't shatter, flicker or hum. Because the bulbs are based on polymer electroluminescent (FIPEL) technology, they give off a soft white light, so rooms can be free from a yellow tint usually emitted from fluorescents (or, in the case of LEDs, blue).

“People often complain that fluorescent lights bother their eyes, and the hum from the fluorescent tubes irritates anyone sitting at a desk underneath them,” said David Carroll, the scientist leading the development of this technology at Wake Forest. “The new lights we have created can cure both of those problems and more.”

To develop the bulbs, the team said it used a nano-engineered polymer matrix to convert the charge into light. It consists of three layers of moldable white-emitting polymer, which is blended with a small amount of nanomaterial. When stimulated, this material glows to create bright white light, which is comfortable for the human eye to view.

The material can also made in any color and shape, which welcomes flexibility in office spaces or even household lamps.

Carroll said the new technology could also be used for large display lighting, such as store marquees or signs on buses. The university is working to manufacture it and sell it to consumers in 2013.