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[Shard]

https://arstechnica.com/science/201...rose-complete-with-wires-and-supercapacitors/

Everything from solar power panels to everyday electronics relies on advanced materials and manufacturing processes. But some interesting things are also being made with some old-school tech: plants. Recently, researchers have demonstrated the ability to create electronic plants, or e-Plants, which made their own localized analog and digital circuits. These technologically savvy plants were produced using the existing plant vascular system, so first-generation models are limited by the nature of their leafy hosts.

Now, a team of researchers has developed a new method to produce e-Plants, in this case getting a rose (Rosa floribunda) to produce its own wiring and even supercapacitors.

Energy storage

To create a truly functional electronic plant, some type of energy storage is required. Luckily, a plant’s anatomy on its own provides a good structure that can be a template supercapacitor. Long-range conducting xylem wires that run in parallel can serve as separate electrodes physically isolated from one another by plant tissue, which acts as an electrolyte.

To test the energy storage capacity of the rose, two gold probes were attached as electrode contacts. When a current of 0.5 µA was charged and discharged, the supercapacitor was found to be stable over 500 cycles. They determined that the capacitance had a value of 73 µF and an equivalent series resistance of 33 kΩ. The maximum stored charge achieved in the experiments was 0.65 mC with a capacitance of 0.25 mF, which was found using a 1.7cm continuous wire. These energy storage capabilities are similar to those of devices used in everyday electronics. And remember: this is happening inside a rose.

Together, this investigation demonstrates the ability to leverage the natural plant physiology and structure to produce electronics. The next step might be to have the plants produce the polymer material itself, allowing wiring to form as it grows.

 

[Ozzy Onya A2Z]

Roses are read...

 

[Shard]

Roses are read...

only memory.

 

[898]

I don't know what the article is about. I feel like the article just paraphrased a research paper instead of actually explaining it.
The plant is used to "grow" wires?

 

[Daedardus]

I don't know what the article is about. I feel like the article just paraphrased a research paper instead of actually explaining it.
The plant is used to "grow" wires?

They let a rose take up some polymer that acted as conducting wires and a capacitor (basically some sort of battery that can store electrical energy). It is possible to modify the rose so that it produces the polymer itself, so theoretically you could grow electronical roses at home.

 

[Phobophile]

To test the energy storage capacity of the rose, two gold probes were attached as electrode contacts. When a current of 0.5 µA was charged and discharged, the supercapacitor was found to be stable over 500 cycles. They determined that the capacitance had a value of 73 µF and an equivalent series resistance of 33 kΩ. The maximum stored charge achieved in the experiments was 0.65 mC with a capacitance of 0.25 mF, which was found using a 1.7cm continuous wire. These energy storage capabilities are similar to those of devices used in everyday electronics. And remember: this is happening inside a rose.

Together, this investigation demonstrates the ability to leverage the natural plant physiology and structure to produce electronics. The next step might be to have the plants produce the polymer material itself, allowing wiring to form as it grows.

I think this is the biggest takeaway of the article. You might be able to manufacture batteries likely in an overall carbon neutral or carbon negative practice without the use of rare metals or toxic electrolytes.

 

[Randolph Freelander]

Layman's terms. How long before they kill us.

 

[dark-knight]

This doesn't remind anyone of HZD??

Spoiler

Metal flowers and all

 

[A-V-B]

Layman's terms. How long before they kill us.

It won't be the roses that kill us, it'll be when the same technology is transplanted into an average teenager whose hormones go berserk and he becomes a living, city-sized behemoth of squirming synthetic compounds.

 

[adamantypants]

This doesn't remind anyone of HZD??

Spoiler

Metal flowers and all

First thing I thought of as well

 

[RustyNails]

Rose's name? Lightning.

 

[Rest]

Cyborg plants. That's what it seems like I'm reading here, we're making cyborg plants.

 

[Tizoc]

So are they planning on having these Roses record the life history of people?

 

[Earthbound64]

A rose by any other name would...
Well, anyway.

Layman's terms. How long before they kill us.

We must have a war to stop this.
A "War of the Roses," if you will.

 

[Log4Girlz]

Roses are read...

Violets are blue tooth