Light-Emitting Trees a Golden Idea, Say Scientists
- 14 years ago
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Trees infused with gold nano-particles could become the streetlights of the future. That's according to a scientist in Taiwan. Experiments demonstrated that the particle-infused leaves emitted light.
With Christmas fast approaching, much of downtown Taipei is bathed in LED lights strung through trees that line the streets.
But a researcher at Taiwan's Academia Sinica suggests that not too far into the future, trees will glow bright enough to be used as streetlights.
It's possible to infuse the leaves of trees with microscopic gold nano-particles that will make them emit light.
[Dr. Su Yen-Hsun, Researcher, Taiwan Academia Sinica]:
"We used chemical elements to wrap around the gold nano-particle and made it into a ball shape. It is then synthesized for a second time to grow into a sea urchin-like structure. This structure is special because its tips help produce a strong electromagnetic field when light enters, and this electromagnetic field can enhance the efficiency of its light emission."
One gram of gold is enough to light up one thousand houseplants. But more research is needed before roadside trees can realistically double as streetlamps.
Trees infused with gold nano-particles could become the streetlights of the future. That's according to a scientist in Taiwan. Experiments demonstrated that the particle-infused leaves emitted light.
With Christmas fast approaching, much of downtown Taipei is bathed in LED lights strung through trees that line the streets.
But a researcher at Taiwan's Academia Sinica suggests that not too far into the future, trees will glow bright enough to be used as streetlights.
It's possible to infuse the leaves of trees with microscopic gold nano-particles that will make them emit light.
[Dr. Su Yen-Hsun, Researcher, Taiwan Academia Sinica]:
"We used chemical elements to wrap around the gold nano-particle and made it into a ball shape. It is then synthesized for a second time to grow into a sea urchin-like structure. This structure is special because its tips help produce a strong electromagnetic field when light enters, and this electromagnetic field can enhance the efficiency of its light emission."
One gram of gold is enough to light up one thousand houseplants. But more research is needed before roadside trees can realistically double as streetlamps.