Gold nanoparticles turn trees into streetlights

Wed Nov 17, 2010 7:58 pm » by **Newearthman**

Gold nanoparticles turn trees into streetlights
By Darren Quick
22:11 November 11, 2010

We might someday be using glowing trees as streetlights thanks to a discovery by Dr. Yen-Hsun Su (Image: Daniel Schwen)

The discovery that gold nanoparticles can induce luminescence in leaves has opened up the prospect of using roadside trees as streetlights. Post-doctor Yen-Hsun Su of Research Center for Applied Science (RCAS), Academia Sinica, Taiwan, implanted gold nanoparticles into Bacopa caroliniana plants and found that, when exposed to high wavelength ultraviolet light, the gold nanoparticles can produce a blue-violet fluorescence that triggers a red emission of the surrounding chlorophyll.

Dr. Yen-Hsun Su is a former student of the Department of Physics at National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) in Taiwan where he was supervised by Prof. Wei-Min Zhang of Department of Physics and Assistant Prof. Shih-Hui Chang of Institute of Electro-Optical Science and Engineering.

Upon learning of the discovery, Assistant Prof. Shih-Hui Chang said: “Light emitting diode (LED) has replaced traditional light source in many display panels and street lights on the road. A lot of light emitting diode, especially white light emitting diode, uses phosphor powder to stimulate light of different wavelengths. However, phosphor powder is highly toxic and its price is expensive. As a result, Dr. Yen-Hsun Wu had the idea to discover a method which is less toxic to replace phosphor powder which can harm human bodies and cause environmental pollution. This is a major motivation for him to engage in the research at the first place.”

Prof. Wei-Min Zhang, Assistant Prof. Shih-Hui Chang and Dr. Yen-Hsun Su have emphasized that the technologies and bioluminescence efficiency need to be improved for the trees to replace street lights in the future and reach the goal of energy saving and environmental protection, but Dr. Yen-Hsun Su is hopeful.

“In the future, bio-LED could be used to make roadside trees luminescent at night. This will save energy and absorb CO2 as the bio-LED luminescence will cause the chloroplast to conduct photosynthesis,” said Dr. Yen-Hsun Su in an interview with Chemistry World.

http://www.gizmag.com/glowing-trees-usi ... ce=PESWiki

Wed Nov 17, 2010 8:00 pm » by **Lakotawanagiyat**

Wow this is cool
i want one of these tree!

Wed Nov 17, 2010 8:20 pm » by **kentrb**

last week,we had our first snow.it melted the next day.when it was melting,the trees in the back yard were lighting up with red,blue,silver and some other colours.
my vid doesnt do it justice,but you can see what i mean,lol

Upload to Disclose.tv

peace

Wed Nov 17, 2010 8:26 pm » by **Newearthman**

I love the way snow and ice look like millions of tiny diamonds. The ice crystals split the white light into the full colour spectrum just like diamonds.

Wed Nov 17, 2010 8:37 pm » by **kentrb**

newearthman wrote:I love the way snow and ice look like millions of tiny diamonds. The ice crystals split the white light into the full colour spectrum just like diamonds.

i got brought to my knees one day by ice crystals and sun rays.it was a most profound experience.to this day,it was the most profound thing that has happened to me.
it was the first time i prayed to the universe.i think it was the first time the universe spoke
to me,when i was listening and paying attention,lol
peace