Nanoparticle Charge and Size Control Foliar Delivery Efficiency to Plant Cells and Organelles

Fundamental and quantitative understanding of the interactions between nanoparticles and plant leaves is crucial for advancing the field of nanoenabled agriculture. Herein, we systematically investigated and modeled how ζ potential (−52.3 mV to +36.6 mV) and hydrodynamic size (1.7–18 nm) of hydrophilic nanoparticles influence delivery efficiency and pathways to specific leaf cells and organelles. We studied interactions of nanoparticles of agricultural interest including carbon dots (CDs, 0.5 and 5 mg/mL), cerium oxide (CeO2, 0.5 mg/mL), and silica (SiO2, 0.5 mg/mL) nanoparticles with leaves of two major crop species having contrasting leaf anatomies: cotton (dicotyledon) and maize (monocotyledon).…

• CS
  China Scholarship Council
• DO
  Division of Chemistry

  Award: CHE-1503408