Stronger and longer

MIT scientists have found a safe way to create glowing plants

Vitaly Moseev, Hi-tech+

Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in their new experiment were able to increase the luminous intensity of plants modified with nanobionics by 10 times. It was also possible to noticeably extend the duration of the glow – a 10-second turn on of blue LEDs was enough to "charge" plants for an hour of glow. The ultimate goal of scientists is to create plants that can safely illuminate cities at night due to the modernized mechanism of photosynthesis.

In the last experiment, scientists were unable to achieve a bright glow so as not to damage the health of the plants themselves. Improved nanoparticle implants now do not harm photosynthesis and water evaporation, and also make plants glow ten times brighter.

The key in the new study was the replacement of luciferase and luciferin, which make fireflies glow, with phosphor materials, such as strontium aluminate nanoparticles. The mechanism of action of the latter consists in the absorption and preservation of visible and ultraviolet light, and then the slow release of light in the form of phosphorescence.

Nanoparticles were coated with silica to protect plant structures. Then the particles penetrated through the pores into the leaves and accumulated in the mesophyll – the tissue responsible for photosynthesis. Scientists tested the new approach on watercress, tobacco, basil, daisies and alocasia.

A drawing from the article by Gordiichuk et al. Augmenting the living plant mesophyll into a photonic capacitor, published in the journal Science Advances – VM.

10 seconds of exposure to blue LEDs on plants was enough for an hour glow. But the brightness of the glow is still unstable – in the first few minutes it is maximum, and then gradually decreases.

The researchers expect to combine strontium aluminate with new particles in the next experiment for a brighter and more stable glow.

The scientists' experiments relate to a new scientific field – plant nanobionics. She explores the impact of embedded nanoparticles on new opportunities. Earlier, scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology created spinach to help find explosives, watercress that glows in the dark, and plants that signal a lack of water.

Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru