Rubén Costa, head of the research group on hybrid optoelectronic materials and devices at IMDEA Materials, has been awarded talented young innovator by the MIT Technology Review. Rubén Costa is leveraging his educational background to guide his work developing a lower-cost, more eco-friendly alternative to current lighting systems. This bio-hybrid technology, known as bio-WLED, also aims to prevent the many health risks associated with using more traditional WLED light sources. Through these advancements, Costa hopes to change the face (and future) of illumination systems and displays for millions around the world.

Left: Pictures of the fluoresecent protein-based gels and rubber-like materials upon excitation at 310 nm. Right: Picture of a working Bio-HLED featuring a bottom-up energy transfer cascade protein coating placed  onto a blue inorganic LED.