Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have developed new, highly flexible sensors that can autonomously monitor and transmit data about plant growth, according to a paper published in the journal. Device.

Ying Diao, a professor of chemical and biomolecular engineering who led the research, said the polymer sensors are resistant to moisture and temperature, can stretch more than 400% while remaining attached to the plant as it grows, and can send a wireless signal to a remote monitoring point. . Professor of Plant Biology and Andrew Leakey Department Chair.

The study details some early results of a NASA grant awarded to Diao to investigate how to use printed wearable electronics for agriculture in space.

“This study was motivated by astronauts’ need to grow vegetables under environmentally friendly conditions during long-duration missions,” he said.

Diao’s team approached this project by using an Earth-based laboratory to create a highly reliable, stretchable electronic device that he said was not easy to develop.

“Honestly, we started this work thinking it would only take a few months. However, we quickly realized that our polymer was too hard,” said Siqing Wang, a graduate student and first author of the study. “We had to reformulate many of the components to make them softer and more flexible, and we had to adjust our printing method to control the assembly of microstructures inside the device so that they did not form large crystals during the printing and curing process.”

The team found a device with a very thin film that helps inhibit crystal growth during assembly and printing.

Development and results

“After solving the stretching and assembly problems, we also had to solve the problems of working with portable electronics in conditions of high humidity and rapid growth,” Wang said. “We needed repeatable results to prevent sensors from falling off or electronics from failing during growth experiments. Finally, we created a seamless electrode and interface that is unaffected by harsh conditions.”

The Stretchable Polymer Electronics-Based Autonomous Remote Strain Sensor, or SPEARS2, is the product of three years of hard work proving that applied science rarely has eureka moments.

“This is an exciting technical advance in our ability to perform real-time, accurate, non-invasive measurements of plant growth. I look forward to seeing how it can complement the latest tools for investigating genomic and cellular processes,” Leakey said.

Diao also said he’s excited to open up all avenues for how this research will continue.

For example, this study looks at plants that grow mostly upward, such as corn. However, researchers plan to improve their e-print methodologies to create a system that can track growth and development. The team said they are also working on the ability to remotely sense and control chemical processes.

“I think the wearable technology research community has ignored plants for too long,” Diao said. “We know they’re under a lot of stress as they adapt to the climate, and I think soft electronics could play a bigger role in advancing our understanding of how to make sure plants are healthy, happy, and resilient in the future, whether that’s in space, on other planets, or right here on Earth.”