Plants live quietly, but dangerously. This danger comes from their singular reliance on water. As a result, plants have become experts at manipulating water through varying environmental conditions. Such water flow is fine-tuned by poroelastic membranes, responsive hydrogel coatings, colloidal clogging cycles, and liquid phase changes. The goal of our lab is to use biomimetic experiments to understand the physical mechanisms at play and improve our fundamental knowledge of plant function, and to combine this knowledge with soft matter for applications in agriculture and soft robotics. In this presentation, we will investigate (1) how plants can feel without nerves, (2) how they can control water flow without pumps, and (3) how hydrogels can be used as water reservoir for agriculture.
