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A revolutionary system for efficiently converting chemical energy to light, fueled by chemical substrate (doesn’t require e.g. electricity or batteries).
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Light-Emitting Nanomaterials Using Transferred Natural Chemical Energy This invention introduces a revolutionary system for converting chemical energy to light by using firefly luciferase attached to semiconductive nanorods. The energy transfer generated is up to 88-times more efficient than the state of the art. The final light emission is tunable from visible to near infrared, and is generated by a chemical fuel, instead of optical or electrical excitation. Technology Overview This invention harnesses the bioluminescence derived from fireflies and converts it and semiconductive nanomaterials. Light is produced through an enzymatic chemical reaction between the luciferase and its substrate luciferin. The system then undergoes a process called with bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (“BRET”). In this system, light is transferred to a inorganic nano-substrate, which in contrast to the state of the art, can be used for various non-biological applications. This invention provides a revolutionary system for efficiently converting chemical energy to tunable light colors through by attaching luciferase enzymes to the surfaces of semiconductive nanorods. Emission colored is tailored by rod microstructure, length, or compisition, making the system highly versatile. With this system, chemical energy is transferred up to 88-times more efficiently than other current BRET systems. Further, the semiconductive metal nanorods can be manipulated in size and length to alter the wavelength of light that they emit. The system can thereby be customized to emit a desired color of light, including near-infrared light. Advantages Most efficient BRET system Fueled by chemical substrate (doesn’t require e.g. electricity or batteries) Customizable light color Limitations no limitations available. Other Information Inventor: Mathew Maye, http://chemistry.syr.edu/faculty/maye.html. Suggested Uses Imaging (e.g. medical, night vision) lighting (e.g. LEDs) Sensing (e.g. single molecule sensing, fluorescence) Development Stage academic research technology sectors Biotechnology Health and Safety Nanotechnology Diagnostic Imaging Drug Screening Energy Materials Optics Tags no applicable tags specified File Number 100707 IP Protection no associated ip specified Publications no available publications specified