Stabilized polymeric nanoparticles for controlled and efficient release of bifenthrin.

Area of Science:

• Agricultural Science
• Materials Science
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Pesticide nanoparticle formulations offer improved spatial distribution and efficiency on leaf surfaces.
• Generating stable pesticide nanoparticles with controlled size distribution is challenging and costly.
• Flash NanoPrecipitation (FNP) is explored for agricultural pesticide formulation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To prepare bifenthrin pesticide nanoparticles using FNP.
• To investigate the effect of polymer stabilizers on nanoparticle characteristics.
• To assess the stability and scalability of the FNP process for pesticide applications.

Main Methods:

• Developed a multi-inlet vortex mixer (MIVM) for rapid micromixing and supersaturation.
• Utilized FNP with various polymeric stabilizers to synthesize bifenthrin nanoparticles.
• Analyzed nanoparticle size, loading, and dispersion stability over time.

Main Results:

• MIVM enabled rapid nucleation and growth of bifenthrin nanoparticles.
• Nanoparticle size increased from 100 to 200 nm with pesticide loading from 50% to 91%.
• Stable nanoparticle dispersions were maintained for over 12 days, with steric stabilization preventing aggregation.

Conclusions:

• FNP with MIVM is a cost-effective method for producing stable pesticide nanoparticle suspensions.
• Nanoparticle size is influenced by supersaturation, pesticide loading, and polymer type.
• Nanoparticle pesticides offer potential for higher efficacy, uniform coverage, and reduced worker exposure.