"The proteins have a photoluminescence quantum yield of more than 75%. High efficiency is guaranteed," says research team leader Rubén Costa. “In addition, they have a low emission bandwidth from 30 to 50nm, ensuring high colour quality and degradation does not produce significant colour changes.”
The success of LCDs, used in devices such as telephones, laptops and TVs, is largely due to their use of inorganic white light-emitting diodes (LEDs).
However, these displays have several inconveniencies: the high cost of the colour filters, limited brightness and contrast levels and the difficulty of recycling materials used to make them.
In response to these problems, the team designed a new display made of luminescent proteins.
Researchers use these proteins in two parts of the display. In the display's backlighting, using a Bio-LED featuring white light with different coloured luminescent proteins and as a substitute for inorganic phosphorous – a rare and expensive material – used in traditional LED displays.
"This new material will allow for the development of energy-efficient Bio-displays for TVs and mobile telephones, with low production costs, high image quality and ecologically sustainability. Also, these filters are not rigid, allowing them to be used in devices which are flexible and light,” Costa concluded.
