In a recent study, a research team led by Shuting Liu — a bioengineer at South China Agricultural University — dove into the nitty-gritty of turning common succulents into illumination-enhanced garden fixtures ….
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Over the years, scientists have harvested bioluminescent materials from various fungi, injecting these chemicals into non-glowing plants, and the results are pretty astonishing. But after a successful batch of succulent experiments — in which phosphors were used to make plants glow, instead of bioluminescent elements — Liu and her team achieved a breakthrough.
It took a minute to find the right balance between variables … but once Liu’s team settled on the mesophyll cell wall of the succulent’s plant leaves, they struck gold (semi-literally). This is a part of the plant involved in photosynthesis, making it a natural choice for hanging onto Liu’s phosphors. Charge the plants with all-day sunlight or LED bulbs, and you’ve got yourself an armada of glowing succulents.
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Who knew that phosphor-packed plants might one day be responsible for cutting down on our utility bills?
