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Glow-in-the-dark houseplants shine in rainbow of colours

Succulents become rechargeable night lights after injection with tiny phosphor particles.
By
  1. Katherine Bourzac
Succulents glow in shades of red, green, blue, and more after being infused with afterglow phosphor particles that absorb and slowly release light.

Researchers gave these succulents in the Echevaria genus a glow up by injecting them with luminescent particles. Credit: Liu et al./Matter

University students might soon have something other than black-light posters to brighten their dorm rooms. Researchers have created glow-in-the-dark plants by injecting succulents with materials similar to those that make the posters light up. The fleshy plants shine as brightly as a night light, and can be made to do so in a wide variety of colours — a first for glowing houseplants, according to the team.

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Nature 645, 17-18 (2025)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-025-02740-2

References

  1. Liu, S. et al. Matter https://doi.org/10.1016/j.matt.2025.102370 (2025).

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Ow, D. W. et al. Science 234, 856–859 (1986).

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

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