Increased awareness of the detrimental impacts of agrochemical applications has prompted a desire for sustainable technologies to achieve targeted, low-volume, and sustained release of agrochemical active ingredients (AIs). We report the fabrication of tunable aqueous particulate dispersions of biodegradable cellulose esters (CE) as efficient carriers of agrochemical AIs for foliar applications. The use of different ester substituent groups on CE permits modulation of particle morphology and size, from irregular shapes within a size of ~350 nm to spheres with an average diameter of 1.1 mm, while maintaining stability as supported by zeta potential analysis and particle size measurements over one year. Surface measurements on various leaves from tomato to banana and silicon wafer reveal the formulations spread quickly while simultaneously exhibiting rainfastness and adherence to the surface. Insights into the interactions between Fluopyram (a model fungicide AI) and various CEs are examined using isothermal titration calorimetry and correlated with AI release kinetics, while system functionalities are corroborated by fungal assays. This ‘lab-to-leaf’ approach to materials development involving fundamental insights and functional performance reveals CE dispersions are promising green agricultural formulations with the potential to impact a myriad of crops around the globe.

Sustainable crop protection: Aqueous dispersions of biodegradable particles with tunable release and rainfastness

ACS Spring 2022

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