Electronic Plants Could Revolutionize Green Energy

Nov-25-15 Researchers have created “botanical cyborgs” that could enable botanists to regulate the plant’s growth or harness its photosynthesis energy.

Plants use a system analogous to conventional electronics to transport and process their growth hormones and chemical ions. Building on this knowledge, the team from Linköping University Laboratory for Organic Electronics were able to merge electronics and plants by introducing a conductive, water-soluble polymer called PEDOT-S into the plant’s structure (a rose, in this case). Once injected into the rose, the polymer formed into a thin film lining the channel the flower uses to absorb nutrients, which the team then coaxed into becoming an organic transistor by adding a gate in the center and an electrode at either end.

The technology could allow researchers to create electronics able to survive cold and wet environments (such as those inside a plant), while also opening the door to a new kind of “green” energy. According to Magnus Berggren, "Now we can really start talking about power plants. We can place sensors in plants and use the energy formed in the chlorophyll, produce green antennae or produce new materials. Everything occurs naturally, and we use the plant's own very advanced, unique systems."

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