Foliar Graphene Sensor for Monitoring Intracellular and Extracellular Leaf Hydration Dynamics

Foliar Graphene Sensor for Monitoring Intracellular and Extracellular Leaf Hydration Dynamics | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Foliar Graphene Sensor for Monitoring Intracellular and Extracellular Leaf Hydration Dynamics Deji Akinwande, Ning Liu, Pascal Ayelo, Utkarsh Misra, Maria Ulatowski, and 7 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9597472/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 7 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Understanding plant water status and cellular hydration is fundamental to plant physiology, drought resilience, and precision agriculture. Yet current approaches infer hydration indirectly from soil moisture, microenvironmental conditions, or bulk tissue measurements, leaving the cellular water dynamics that govern physiological function largely inaccessible. In particular, no sensing platform enables in vivo differentiation between extracellular and intracellular water status in living leaves. Here, we present a foliar graphene sensor (FGS), a transparent, ultralight, breathable, and conformal atomic sensor. Unlike invasive metal electrodes that may damage tissue and hydrogel electrodes that can dehydrate over time, this foliar sensor enables non-invasive, continuous and multi-week quantitative monitoring of extracellular and intracellular water content in living plant leaves without disturbing physiological activity. By directly measuring the bioelectrical impedance spectrum of leaf tissue and incorporating the leaf as part of the sensing circuit, the device captures intrinsic plant hydration dynamics in real time. The sensing approach is broadly applicable across plant types and operational under natural outdoor conditions. In vivo measurements reveal that plants preferentially maintain intracellular water during dehydration–rehydration cycles, providing the first direct evidence of this physiological hierarchy in intact plants. Biological sciences/Plant sciences/Plant biotechnology Physical sciences/Materials science/Nanoscale materials/Graphene/Electronic properties and devices Biological sciences/Biological techniques/Nanobiotechnology/Biosensors Physical sciences/Materials science/Nanoscale materials/Graphene/Mechanical and structural properties and devices Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files plantprojectSUPINFO.pdf Supplementary Information for Foliar Graphene Sensor for Continuous, Non-Destructive Monitoring of Plant Tissue Hydration, Drought Stress and Circadian Rhythm SUPVideo1.mov Supplementary Video: Placement of the Foliar Graphene Sensor on a Leaf Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviewer # 4 agreed at journal 11 May, 2026 Reviewer # 3 agreed at journal 11 May, 2026 Reviewer # 2 agreed at journal 11 May, 2026 Reviewer # 1 agreed at journal 10 May, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 08 May, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 06 May, 2026 First submitted to journal 03 May, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9597472","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":636870219,"identity":"15ee6933-b6a0-4868-abe4-2862b39fbffd","order_by":0,"name":"Deji 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