Descrizione del progetto
Una nuova generazione di apparecchi bioibridi
Per ottenere un consumo di energia elettrica efficiente e a basso costo, l’UE sostiene l’illuminazione bioibrida avanzata e le tecnologie fotovoltaiche. Tuttavia, l’uso delle biomolecole come componenti pratici nell’illuminazione e negli apparecchi fotovoltaici è ancora in fase di ricerca, in quanto mutano durante lo stoccaggio e il funzionamento. È ora in uso un materiale innovativo simile alla gomma in grado di preservare la biofunzionalità. Il progetto InOutBioLight, finanziato dall’UE, progetterà gomme multifunzionali con caratteristiche meccaniche, termiche, di conversione del colore e di guida della luce migliorate. Il progetto mira a sviluppare una nuova generazione di apparecchi bioibridi affrontando cinque questioni critiche: la natura della stabilizzazione della matrice proteica; come rafforzare le caratteristiche termiche e meccaniche; il design multifunzionale della gomma; l’imitazione di modelli naturali; l’espansione dell’utilizzo tecnologico di materiali simili alla gomma.
Obiettivo
InOutBioLight aims to design multifunctional rubbers with enhanced mechanical, thermal, color-converting, and light-guiding features towards advanced biohybrid lighting and photovoltaic technologies. The latter are placed at the forefront of the EU efforts for low-cost production and efficient consumption of electricity, a critical issue for a sustainable development.
In this context, the use of biomolecules as functional components in lighting and photovoltaic devices is still a challenge, as they quickly denature under storage and device operation conditions. This paradigm has changed using an innovative rubber-like material, in which the biofunctionality is long preserved. As a proof-of-concept, color down-converting rubbers based on fluorescent proteins were used to design the first biohybrid white light-emitting diode (bio-HWLED). To develop a new generation of biohybrid devices, InOutBioLight will address the following critical issues, namely i) the nature of the protein-matrix stabilization, ii) how to enhance the thermal/mechanical features, iii) how to design multifunctional rubbers, iv) how to mimic natural patterns for light-guiding, and v) how to expand the technological use of the rubber approach.
To achieve these goals, InOutBioLight involves comprehensive spectroscopic, microscopic, and mechanical studies to investigate the protein-matrix interaction using new polymer matrices, additives, and protein-based nanoparticles. In addition, the mechanical, thermal, and light-coupling features will be enhanced using structural biocompounds and reproducing biomorphic patterns. As such, InOutBioLight offers three major advances: i) a thorough scientific basis for the rubber approach, ii) a significant thrust of the emerging bio-HWLEDs, and iii) innovative breakthroughs beyond state-of-the-art biohybrid solar cells.
Campo scientifico
- engineering and technologymaterials engineeringcolors
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesbiochemistrybiomoleculesproteins
- natural scienceschemical sciencespolymer sciences
- engineering and technologynanotechnologynano-materials
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringenergy and fuelsrenewable energysolar energyphotovoltaic
Programma(i)
Argomento(i)
Meccanismo di finanziamento
ERC-COG - Consolidator GrantIstituzione ospitante
80333 Muenchen
Germania