This project aims to develop soft, flexible electrodes that enable plants to serve as living sensors to detect environmental contaminants such as PFAS.
Widespread use of synthetic chemicals, including contaminants of emerging concern, such as PFAS, pesticides, and pharmaceuticals, has led to persistent environmental contamination. Current monitoring methods are often costly, slow, and limited in coverage, reducing the ability to detect contamination early and protect ecosystems and communities. This project explores a novel approach to environmental monitoring by using plants as living biosensors. Plants continuously absorb chemicals from air, soil, and water and respond with measurable physiological changes, including electrical signals associated with stress. The research focuses on adapting ultra-conformal, paintable soft electrodes—originally developed for human health monitoring—for noninvasive, continuous measurement of plant electrophysiological activity. In controlled greenhouse experiments, plants will be exposed to environmentally relevant PFAS concentrations, and soft PEDOT: PSS electrodes will record electrical responses over time. To distinguish chemical stress from other stressors, plant responses to insect herbivory will also be measured. PFAS levels in soil, water, and plant tissues will be quantified to directly correlate contaminant exposure with electrical activity, and plant volatile emissions will be analyzed to identify complementary stress signals. This work will establish proof of concept for plant-based bioelectronic sensing as a scalable, low-cost strategy for detecting environmental contamination.
