Towards smarter agriculture: Durable nanofilm electrodes for monitoring leaf health
Researchers develop non-invasive devices for the long-term measurement of bioelectric potentials in plants
Institute of Science Tokyo
image:
This is the first transparent, durable, and water-resistant electrode that does not compromise the natural functions of leaf hairs. It could enable real-time monitoring of plant health status and help secure higher crop yields.
view moreCredit: Institute of Science Tokyo
Nanofilm electrodes capable of detecting stress in plants through bioelectric potentials could pave the way for more resilient agriculture, report researchers from Institute of Science Tokyo. Thanks to the electrode’s small thickness, leaf surface hairs can easily pierce through it, enabling stable and long-term electrical contact without compromising the leaf’s natural processes. This work could help improve crop yields by enabling early detection of stress in plants.
Food security is becoming a major global concern as climate change and growing pesticide resistance put crops under pressure. One promising strategy to tackle these issues and improve yields is catching health problems in crops early, before they cause irreversible damage. Interestingly, much like animals, plants produce electrical signals when under stress, and measuring these bioelectric potentials directly from leaves can provide timely warnings of diseases or harmful conditions. If developed into practical sensors, such technology could become a key component of smart agriculture systems.
However, despite many research efforts over the past decade, existing leaf electrodes are not yet suitable for widespread adoption. Some electrodes are not transparent, which interferes with photosynthesis. Others are not fully water-resistant, making them unsuitable for long-term use. One particularly tricky obstacle is the presence of trichomes—the tiny hair-like structures found on the leaves of many economically important crops, including soybeans, tomatoes, and eggplants. Existing thin-film electrodes are designed to simply cover trichomes, disrupting their function and damaging the leaf over time.
To address these issues, a research team led by Professor Toshinori Fujie, graduate student Yusuke Hori, and Assistant Professor Tatsuhiro Horii from the Department of Life Science and Technology, School of Life Science and Technology, Institute of Science Tokyo (Science Tokyo), Japan, in collaboration with Professor Shinji Masuda from the same institute, developed a new type of durable thin-film electrode compatible with trichome-rich leaves. Their latest paper, published online in Advanced Science on March 23, 2026, describes transparent nanofilm electrodes made from conductive, single-walled carbon nanotubes deposited onto a flexible elastomer layer. Only 70 to 320 nanometers thick, the nanofilms are extremely thin and can conform closely to complex leaf surfaces without the need for adhesives.
One key discovery was that the 70-nm-thick electrodes could be pierced by trichomes, settling directly onto the leaf’s epidermis while leaving the hairs largely undisturbed. This “trichome-piercing” mechanism—consistent across several crop species—enabled stable electrical contact without damaging plant tissues or compromising key biological processes. The electrodes also proved highly transparent, transmitting over 80% of incoming light and allowing photosynthesis to continue normally.
Tests showed that the nanofilm electrodes could record bioelectric signals continuously for several weeks. In some experiments, the devices remained attached and functional for up to 10 months without causing apparent damage. The research team also confirmed the electrodes’ durability in simulated rainfall conditions; unlike hydrogel-based sensors, which fail after exposure to water, the proposed carbon nanotube electrodes remained attached and continued to record electrical signals without issue.
The researchers also showcased how their electrodes could be used to monitor physiological stress in plants. “When the electrode was attached to leaves under herbicide damage, chemical stress was successfully detected through changes in the bioelectric potential waveform associated with light irradiation,” explains Fujie.
Because electrical signals often change before visible symptoms appear, the proposed devices could enable early detection of plant stress in real-world settings. “Our findings make it possible to non-destructively capture physiological changes that occur before stress levels reach the stage that leads to yield reduction,” remarks Fujie. “In the future, we expect this technology to be applied for crop health monitoring in agricultural fields.”
By enabling long-term monitoring of plant electrical activity, these new nanofilm electrodes could become a valuable tool for precision agriculture. With further development, networks of these sensors could help farmers respond more quickly to environmental stressors, marking an important step toward more resilient food production systems.
***
About Institute of Science Tokyo (Science Tokyo)
Institute of Science Tokyo (Science Tokyo) was established on October 1, 2024, following the merger between Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) and Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech), with the mission of “Advancing science and human wellbeing to create value for and with society.”
Journal
Advanced Science
Method of Research
Experimental study
Subject of Research
Not applicable
Article Title
Pierceable, Water-Resistant, and Transparent Nanofilm Electrodes Comprising Carbon Nanotubes for Long-Term Monitoring of Plant Electrophysiology
Article Publication Date
23-Mar-2026
COI Statement
This work relates to the patent to be pended: JP2024-131682.
No comments:
Post a Comment