Biomaterials & Biointerfaces
AAPlant Bioelectronics and Nanobionics
Global climate challenges are making sustainable food production increasingly urgent. Emerging plant bioelectronics and nanobionics technologies offer new opportunities for both fundamental plant science and precision agriculture. A key driver of these advances is the development of functional materials that bridge the communication gap between plants and sensing and actuation technologies.
Scope:
This symposium will explore recent advances in plant bioelectronics and nanobionics, highlighting how innovations in materials, devices, and integrated platforms enable new approaches to study plant signaling, metabolism, and stress responses. In fundamental plant science, bioelectronic and nanobionic technologies can complement and extend traditional methodologies, accelerating efforts to understand plant function and develop crops with improved resilience and productivity. In agricultural applications, these emerging technologies offer promising strategies for optimized resource management, early detection of stress and disease, and improved crop performance.
Bioelectronic sensors translate biological inputs into electronic signals, enabling monitoring of plant physiological processes. These include biochemical sensors for real-time monitoring of plant biomolecules such as nutrients, sugars, hormones, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs).
Physical sensors allow monitoring of environmental and plant parameters, including temperature, humidity, plant growth, and microclimate conditions. In contrast, bioelectronic actuators convert electronic inputs into biological responses. For example, devices that enable electronic delivery of biomolecules can trigger specific plant processes, while electrical stimulation platforms can modulate plant growth and development.
Nanobionic technologies integrate engineered nanomaterials with plant systems to enable sensing, actuation, and targeted molecular transport at cellular and tissue interfaces. In sensing applications, functional nanomaterials such as carbon nanotubes, quantum dots, and plasmonic nanoparticles can transduce biochemical interactions into optical or electronic signals, enabling real-time monitoring of plant metabolites and stress hormones with high spatial resolution. Their small size and tunable surface chemistry allow these nanosensors to operate within otherwise inaccessible compartments within plant cells.
Beyond sensing, nanobionic platforms can function as precise delivery carriers. Nanoparticles engineered with controlled physiochemical properties and ligand functionality can transport nutrients, agrochemicals, nucleic acids, or proteins across plant barriers and release them in response to environmental or biological triggers. Such carriers enable localized, stimulusresponsive delivery, reducing off-target effects and improving resource-use efficiency compared with conventional foliar or soil-based applications.
By bringing together researchers from materials science, nanotechnology, bioelectronics, bioengineering, and agricultural technology, the symposium aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the state of the art while fostering interdisciplinary dialogue and identifying key challenges and opportunities for further advancing the field.
Hot topics to be covered by the symposium:
- Materials for bioelectronic sensors for monitoring plant physiology
- Materials for plants wearable devices
- Materials for sensors for monitoring plant growth environment, air and soil
- Devices and materials for controlled molecule delivery in plants
- Devices and materials for stimulating plant growth
- Materials and device engineering for precision and sustainable agriculture
- Biomaterials and nanoparticles for cargo delivery in agriculture
- Advanced materials for seed coating and plant protection
- Biodegradable materials to support sustainable agriculture
- Nano-Ecotoxicology
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Norrkoping, SE-601 74, Sweden
eleni.stavrinidou@liu.se218, Gajeong-ro, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34129, Republic of Korea
skin@etri.re.kr1 Gwanak-Ro, Gwanak-Gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea
seon.y.kwak@snu.ac.kr4 Engineering Drive 4, E5-02-27, Singapore
tedrick@nus.edu.sg