Self-powered and plant-wearable hydrogel as LED power supply and sensor for promoting and monitoring plant growth in smart farming.

Synopsis: Smart farming system is built by a versatile conductive hydrogel: clean energy sources can be harvested by our nano energy generator device and stored in the hydrogel supercapacitors to power up the light fertilizer for plant growth promotion, which is monitored by the wireless wearable sensors. [Display omitted] • Multifunctional hydrogel for plant (vegetable, fruits) wearable sensor. • Self-powered hydrogel for green agriculture. • Hydrogel sensor monitoring and promoting fruit growth. • The gel collecting energy from wind, rain and sounds for light "fertilizer". • Plant-device interaction on the gel. Significant energy is consumed to produce the highest-yielding agriculture, which increases greenhouse gas emission and leads to climate change. Smart farming is expected to allow to enhance efficiency and sustainability via site-specific monitoring and managing of crops. This study is a first of its kind development of versatile double-network hydrogel that can serve as: 1) a clean energy harvesting device for self-powered light fertilizer for plants, 2) a supercapacitor for energy storage, 3) plant growth sensor, and 4) an ammonia sensor. Polyacrylic acid double-networked with the conductive nanofiller reduced graphene oxide and then coated with polyaniline are incorporated with double networking (PAA-RGO-PANI, PRP) that significant improved mechanical stress from 300 KPa to 1050Kpa. The excellent stretchability (650%) and strength makes it suitable for agriculture-purposed plant-wearable senor that satisfies the plant growth. The electrical performance of the triboelectric energy harvester (PRP-TENG) provides high power density at 424 mW/m2 from sound wave, wind, and mechanic pressure. The PAA-RGO-PANI supercapacitor can maintain a stable capacitance at 2330 mF cm−2 after 5000 cycles. The self-powered system combined with PRP-TENG and supercapacitor shows great potential in modern agriculture system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]