Successful preparation of a new nano fungicide based on Bi and Zr nanoparticles

In this work, chitosan in citric acid and ascorbic acid along with glucose solutions served as stabilizing and reducing agents of Bi and Zr nanometallic particles, respectively, to produce chitosan-ascorbic acid-bismuth/zirconium (CTS-AA-Bi)/(CTS-AA-Zi), and chitosan-citric acid-bismuth/zirconium (CTS-CA-Bi)/(CTS-CA-Zr) materials. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) images revealed an irregular sheet-like and round-shaped morphologies attributed to CTS-AA-Bi and CTS-AA-Zr, respectively, with slight agglomeration. Moreover, the high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) image confirmed the monoclinic polynanocrystalline phase of the materials as revealed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) with an average particle size of 76 nm. The as-prepared materials displayed significant antifungal activity against Botrytis cinerea, plausibly due to the sustainable release and attachment of Zr ions to the fungal cells, thereby generating pores on the cell, damaging the cell wall/membranes, and leading to cell death. A substantial antifungal effect was also observed with postharvested cherry fruits sprayed up to 10 d. This new nanoagrofungicide can be used to preserve postharvested fruits and vegetables against fungi attack. SourceFacile Green Synthesis of New Chitosan-Metal Nanoparticles as Nano-Agrofungicide For The Preservation of Postharvest Cherry FruitsOnome Ejeromedoghene, Abiodun Oladipo, Olayinka Oderinde, Emmanuel S. Okeke, Saliu A. Amolegbe, Tolulope M. Obuotor, Caroline A. Akinremi, Sheriff Adewuyi, and Guodong FuACS Agricultural Science & Technology?Article ASAPACS Publications, 2021 American Chemical Societyhttps://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acsagscitech.1c00153https://doi.org/10.1021/acsagscitech.1c00153