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Plants that shine in various colors developed, charge with sunlight

Plants that shine in various colors developed, charge with sunlight
Source: interestingengineering
Author: @IntEngineering
Published: 8/27/2025

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Scientists have developed glow-in-the-dark succulents that emit various colors such as green, red, and blue by infusing them with micron-sized afterglow phosphor particles. These particles absorb sunlight or indoor LED light and slowly release it, enabling the plants to glow for up to two hours after brief exposure. The research, published in the journal Matter, highlights that succulents are particularly effective hosts due to their compact microstructure and evenly distributed leaf channels, which facilitate uniform particle dispersion and bright luminescence. This method overcomes previous challenges where smaller nanoparticles were dimmer and larger particles could not move efficiently within plants. The glowing plants rival the brightness of small night lights and present potential for sustainable, plant-based lighting systems that could be used in architecture, urban planning, and interior decor. The researchers even created a glowing plant wall with 56 succulents capable of illuminating nearby objects and reading material. Each plant costs roughly $1.40 to prepare, excluding labor. While the light

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materialssustainable-lightingplant-based-lightingluminescent-plantsafterglow-phosphorsunlight-chargingglow-in-the-dark-plants