Protein-based lighting
Winner: 2021 Materials Chemistry Division Horizon Prize:
Stephanie L Kwolek Award
For stabilisation of fluorescent proteins in polymer coatings and their use in bio-based lighting technology.
Celebrate the protein-based lighting team
#RSCPrizes
Collaborators from Technical University of Münich, the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, the Materials Physics Center and the Center for Cooperative Research in Biomaterials have created sustainable, stable and highly performing light-emitting diodes (LEDs), using fluorescent proteins as colour filters.
In biology, there are fluorescent proteins that exhibit excellent photoluminescence – however, these proteins are not stable when outside of the cell. The team developed a method whereby the proteins are stabilised in dry polymer films, and they retain their photoluminescent properties for years. The properties of the polymer protecting the proteins also means that they can be used in diverse applications.
This has significance: these fluorescent proteins can be used to make LEDs that are higher performing, more efficient and sustainable than most current LEDs.
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