The researchers used a compound called strontium aluminate, which can be formed into nanoparticles, as their phosphor. These materials can absorb either visible or ultraviolet light and then slowly release it as a phosphorescent glow. To create their “light capacitor,” the researchers decided to use a type of material known as a phosphor. In the case of glowing plants, a light capacitor can be used to store light in the form of photons, then gradually release it over time. They came up with the idea of using a capacitor, which is a part of an electrical circuit that can store electricity and release it when needed.
In the new study, Strano and his colleagues wanted to create components that could extend the duration of the light and make it brighter. Using these particles, the researchers generated watercress plants that could emit dim light, about one-thousandth the amount needed to read by, for a few hours. Their first generation of light-emitting plants contained nanoparticles that carry luciferase and luciferin, which work together to give fireflies their glow. Strano’s lab has been working for several years in the new field of plant nanobionics, which aims to give plants novel features by embedding them with different types of nanoparticles. Pavlo Gordiichuk, a former MIT postdoc, is the lead author of the new paper, which appears in Science Advances. The ability to mix and match functional nanoparticles inserted into a living plant to produce new functional properties is an example of the emerging field of “plant nanobionics.” Those plants use nanoparticles containing the enzyme luciferase, which is found in fireflies, to produce light. The particles can also boost the light production of any other type of light-emitting plant, including those Strano’s lab originally developed. “It represents a fundamental shift in how we think about living plants and electrical energy for lighting.” “Creating ambient light with the renewable chemical energy of living plants is a bold idea,” says Sheila Kennedy, a professor of architecture at MIT and an author of the paper who has worked with Strano’s group on plant-based lighting. “This is a big step toward plant-based lighting.” Dubbs Professor of Chemical Engineering at MIT and the senior author of the new study. “We wanted to create a light-emitting plant with particles that will absorb light, store some of it, and emit it gradually,” says Michael Strano, the Carbon P. These plants can produce light that is 10 times brighter than the first generation of glowing plants that the research group reported in 2017. After 10 seconds of charging, plants glow brightly for several minutes, and they can be recharged repeatedly. Using specialized nanoparticles embedded in plant leaves, MIT engineers have created a light-emitting plant that can be charged by an LED.
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