Whenever night falls, colorful neon lights light up on the streets of the city, dressing up the entire city's night exceptionally beautifully and showcasing a scene of urban prosperity. Why is a neon light called this name? So we have to talk about its origin

As early as 1898, British chemists Remsey and Travers discovered a strange and rare gas in liquid air after chemically removing oxygen and nitrogen from the air. When this gas is sealed in a semi vacuum glass tube and an electric current is applied to both ends of the glass tube, the originally colorless glass tube emits a red light. They called this newly discovered gas "neon", which means "new" in Greek. The Greek pronunciation of "new" is "neon", which represents color, so this "new light" is called "neon light". So, neon lights were born.

Later on, people believed that only red was too monotonous for neon lights, so they successively invented colorful fluorescent powders such as blue, green, white, yellow, purple, etc. The blue fluorescent powder was applied to the inner wall of the glass tube, bent into the required text or pattern, installed electrodes, and the air inside the glass tube was sucked clean. Then, neon gas was added, and the neon light would emit a pink color; In a lamp tube coated with blue fluorescent powder, argon and mercury are added, and the neon light will emit a bright blue color; Putting neon gas into a lamp tube coated with green fluorescent powder results in an orange red color; If neon gas is changed to argon and mercury, the neon light will emit green light. Through different combinations, the electrified neon lights can emit colorful light.

The luminous principle of neon lights after being electrified is similar to that of lightning in the sky, and it is also a gas discharge phenomenon. After being electrified inside the tube, gas molecules gain energy and are continuously ionized into free electrons (negatively charged) and positive ions (positively charged). At the same time, the opposite process is constantly occurring, where positive ions and electrons combine to form molecules. During the process of recombination, excess energy is released in the form of light energy. Due to differences in composition and structure, different gas molecules emit varying amounts of light energy during recombination, resulting in various colors.

The combination of neon light technology and art is becoming increasingly close, and it is now applied in many fields of our lives. For example, installing neon lights on the chassis of a car increases traffic safety by emitting light. In the construction industry, neon lights make buildings colorful at night and attract more people's attention. Nowadays, some retail stores, shopping centers, and entertainment venues also use neon lights for interior decoration, achieving a combination of functionality and art.