Midterm Proposals:
#1: E-Field Camera
#2: The Effects of Aqueous Ferrofluid on Plant Growth
The proposed concept for the E-Field Camera is to employ the existing Van de Graaff generator from previous projects as a high energy field source in conjunction with a barrel or ring-shaped photo detector as a method for capturing spatial E-Field density and pathways with respect to environmental / structural / material characteristics.
The corona discharge over time will be detected on a photo sensitized barrel consisting of near radio transparent material and black and white photo paper. Depending on test results the ring detector may require an initial phosphor “primer” layer to help the photo detector.
Above is a rendering of what the captured E-Field signature might look like with CRT monitors and other conductive materials in the environment producing “hot spots”.
#2: The Effects of Aqueous Ferrofluid on Plant Growth
Hopefully expanding on previous work done at Lucian Blaga University in Romania in which researchers introduced water based ferrofluid into developing plant’s water supply a published paper (2007) available here.
While it’s unclear in the published findings whether or not the nano-scale ferrofluid particles were in fact able to cross the root membrane, I hope to replicate the root level results obtained previously as well as a new group in which I plan to directly inject aqueous ferrofluid into the stem phloem at regular intervals during development with a permanent magnetic source present.
The magnetic source will be present on version 1 groups including the control and the root level. A secondary identical set of these groups without any magnetic source will also be present.
A vague hypothesis would be that the intravenous introduction of ferrofluid into the plant’s vascular system would have an effect on growth via a direct impact on vascular fluid flow by augmenting or compromising capillary action or through magnetic articulation through developing barrier tissue and ferrofluid.
Typically the vehicle and surfactant’s used in ferrofluid would make the substance detrimental to plant tissue. The aforementioned study used citric acid as a non destructive surfactant which may be an option.