Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have taken household plants and paired them with nanomaterials to create bionic plants that can do everything from monitoring environmental pollutants to detecting chemical weapons.
Researchers Michael Strano, a Carbon P. Dubbs Professor of Chemical Engineering and Juan Pablo Giraldo, plant biologist, worked together to harness plant power as a new kind of technology platform. The research team chose plants because of their ability to repair themselves, survive harsh outdoor environments and be self-reliant for power and distribution of water. The emerging field is nicknamed “plant nanobiotics” and combines plant biology with chemical engineering nanotechnology to create ‘super plants.’ The potential for plant nanobiotics is relatively untapped and the possibilities are endless. For this reason, Strano and Giraldo set out to discover what an average plant can really do.
Professor Michael Strano (left) and postdoc fellow Juan Giraldo (right) in lab at MIT (courtesy of Bryce Vickmark of MIT)
The Process
To create bionic plants, researchers rely on embedding cholorplasts with cerium oxide nanoparticles, or nanoceria. Nanoceria is delivered to the plan through lipid exchange envelope penetration, which allows the substance to penetrate the protective membrane of the chloroplasts, without damaging molecules.
Through this process, researchers began installing semiconducting carbon nanotubes, covered in negatively-charged DNA, into the choloroplasts as well. This had a positive effect on the plant’s ability to absorb light, including the absorption of light wavelengths that are typically not within a plant’s range, such as near-infrared, ultraviolet and green light. Through this process, plants exhibited a 49 percent increase in photosynthetic activity.
The researchers then used vascular infusion to inject nanoparticles into the plants through nanotubes, making the plants “bionic.” While researchers are still unsure of how the process affects the plant’s glucose production, they were able to create a variety of plants with potentially practical uses in the field of biochemistry.
Researchers using near-infrared microscope to detect output of carbon nanotube sensor in Arabidopsis Thaliana plant (Courtesy of Bryce Vickmark of MIT)
Practical Uses
The research team used the Arabidopsis Thaliana plant in its study as a plant model and installed a carbon nanotube, designed to detect the presence of a common environmental pollutant, nitric oxide, which is produced through combustion. In the experiment, the team successfully gave the plant supernatural properties and when presented with the toxin, its luminescence changed, telling the researchers that it indeed detected the toxin’s presence.
Giraldo and Stano created a number of nanotubes that could sense various chemicals, including the explosive TNT, chemical agent nerve gas sarin and hydrogen peroxide. The target molecule is detected when it encounters the polymer encasing the nanotube. When it is detected, the florescence of the plant changes, revealing the presence of the threat.
The team has plans to enhance its carbon nanotubes to create an army of plants that can detect various biochemical threats in real time, at very low concentrations. The team is also working on developing bionic plants that rely on electronic nanomaterials, such as graphene.
Giraldo said the field of plant nanobiotics is still in the developing stages. He considers it a great opportunity for the communities of plant biologists and chemical engineering nanotechnologists to work together towards a world of technology powered by plants.
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