Silk-hydrogel Lenses for Light-emitting Diodes.

Today the high demand for electronics leads to massive production of waste, thus green materials based electronic devices are becoming more important for environmental protection and sustainability. The biomaterial based hydrogels are widely used in tissue engineering, but their uses in photonics are limited. In this study, silk fibroin protein in hydrogel form is explored as a bio-friendly alternative to conventional polymers for lens applications in light-emitting diodes.

Fluorescent protein integrated white LEDs for displays.

The usage time of displays (e.g., TVs, mobile phones, etc) is in general shorter than their functional life time, which worsens the electronic waste (e-waste) problem around the world.