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Toward Plant Cyborgs: Hydrogels Incorporated onto Plant Tissues Enable Programmable Shape Control
Jiayu Zhao1, Yifeng Ma1, Nicole F Steinmetz1,2,3,4,5,6
1Department of NanoEngineering, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California 92093, United States.
ACS Macro Letters
|July 12, 2022
Summary
Researchers created plant cyborgs by combining plant tissues with stimuli-responsive hydrogels. This innovation allows programmable shape morphing for applications in regenerative medicine, precision farming, and plant-based biosensors.
Area of Science:
- Biomaterials Engineering
- Synthetic Biology
- Plant Science
Background:
- Engineered living materials (ELMs) integrate organisms and synthetic components for novel functionalities.
- Controlling the shape of plant tissues offers potential in regenerative medicine and adaptive agriculture.
- Stimuli-responsive polymers can dynamically alter material properties in response to environmental cues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop plant cyborgs by integrating stimuli-responsive hydrogels with decellularized plant tissues.
- To achieve programmable shape morphing in plant tissues using external stimuli.
- To explore applications in precision farming, biosensing, and regenerative medicine.
Main Methods:
- Utilized 3D printing to deposit stimuli-responsive poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PNIPAM) hydrogel precursors onto decellularized plant tissues.
- Employed silane treatment for enhanced adhesion between hydrogels and plant surfaces.
- Investigated shape morphing triggered by thermal cues and ultraviolet (UV) light.
Main Results:
- Successfully integrated PNIPAM hydrogels with decellularized plant tissues.
- Demonstrated programmable folding and bending of plant tissues in response to temperature and UV light.
- Achieved shape control through strain mismatch between swellable hydrogels and nonswellable plant tissues.
Conclusions:
- The developed strategy enables precise control over plant tissue morphology.
- This approach opens new possibilities for plant-based biosensors and soft actuators.
- Potential applications include enhancing food security and developing advanced tissue-engineering scaffolds.
