The power of pollen

This pesky allergen may tickle some noses, but its potential uses are not to be sneezed at, say NTU scientists

by Foo Jie Ying

A team of scientists at NTU have uncovered the secret behind the ubiquitous pollen, which could hold the key to a new class of flexible materials that are easy on both the pocket and the environment.

The team, which includes Prof Cho Nam-Joon, NTU President Prof Subra Suresh, Asst Prof Song Juha, and a group of research fellows and graduate students, recently found a way to turn sunflower pollen – described by scientists as the diamond of the plant kingdom for its indestructible traits – into a soft, flexible material.

With this new pollen material, the scientists made paper that can bend and curl in humidity, then unbend in the dry. This response to external stimuli holds promise for several practical uses, from the fabrication of artificial muscles used in soft robots, to essential components in energy generators and sensors, and even affordable biodegradable food packaging.

And all this from an unexpected discovery in a humble petri dish in the lab, says Prof Cho. “While we often think about how to do fancy science, it’s the little things like this that make us smile after a long day in the lab. You realise that science is not just about smarts and effort. Sometimes, it’s also about a bit of luck from the unexpected things around us,” he says.

Inspired by the change in flexibility in a pollen grain’s outer shell during natural processes like germination, the NTU team took a stab at remodelling the pollen’s entire wall structure to alter its material properties, using a method similar to* conventional soap-making.

The resulting material can take on various forms, from gels to sheets of “pollen paper”. It does not trigger toxic reactions when exposed to body tissue, making it potentially useful as an ingredient in wound dressing, prosthetics and implantable electronics.

“From Velcro whose design is based on the grappling hooks of seeds, to the wings of airplanes, inspired by the mechanics of the flight of birds, scientists have been extracting design principles from nature and replicating them as products that benefit society. Our work with pollen is no different. It is an example of turning a time-tested idea in nature into a possible engineering solution.”

Prof Subra Suresh

This story was published in the Aug-Sep 2020 issue of HEY!. To read it and other stories from this issue in print, click here.