Green and sustainable alternative to traditional light-emitting materials uses abundant lignin waste streams and amino acid histidine

https://techxplore.com/news/2025-11-green-alternative-emitting-materials-displays.html

"preparation only uses green solvents water/ acetone... fluoresces under UV due to excited state proton transfer... phenolic groups within lignin absorb UV and become energized, releasing as visible light (fluorescence) as lignin relaxes back to normal state... photoluminescent properties easily adjusted... screens (TVs, smartphones), lighting, sensors, security inks, biomedical imaging... upcycles lignin, a major waste product of the paper industry, into a high-value technology material"