Controlled delivery of nutrients to plants can increase agricultural yields while decreasing the negative economic and environmental impacts of the broad application of conventional fertilizers. Phytoglycogen nanoparticles (PhG NPs), a renewable polysaccharine material naturally produced in corn, offer distinct advantages as a nutrient delivery platform. The dendritic structure of PhG NPs facilitates the embedding of nutrient materials within, while the surface chemistry can be modified to optimize PhG NP binding to plant surfaces (e.g. hydrophobic leaves or roots). In this work, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) were used to probe the adhesion of PhG NPs with different surface functionalizations to a model hydrophobic surface. The hydrophobic character of the PhG surface was found to be the driving force in attachment; therefore, a series of hydrophobic hexyl ester-functionalized PhG NPs was prepared with systematic variation in the degree of substitution. The balance between enhanced hydrophobic character and decreased aqueous stability was explored to optimize attachment. In addition, zinc phosphate and zinc oxide NPs were nucleated within PhG NPs as model systems for the delivery of metal micronutrients and phosphorus macronutrients. The nanohybrids were characterized using a variety of techniques (e.g. AAS, XRD, TGA, EDX) to identify the zinc structure, content, and release kinetics. Ultimately, the renewable PhG platform represents a sustainable approach to agrichemical delivery that can be extended to a variety of nutrients (e.g. nitrogen or copper) while taking advantage of the optimized surface chemistry presented in this work.<br/>

Modification of plant-derived nanoglycogen for applications in sustainable agriculture

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

[Author Benefits](https://scimeetings.acs.org/?utm_source=pubs_content_marketing&utm_medium=website&utm_campaign=0320_MCF_NPI_Launch_Spring_Homepage&ref=pubs_content_marketing)

[How to use SciMeetings](https://storage.googleapis.com/dl.morressier.com/acs/SciMeetings-ACSSpring2020-HowToGuide_M3020-Final.pdf)

[Frequently Asked Questions](https://storage.googleapis.com/dl.morressier.com/acs/SciMtng_ACSNMSp2020_FAQ_M3120_Final.pdf)

ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.