Synthesis and effect of CoCuFeNi high entropy alloy nanoparticles on seed germination, plant growth, and...

Implementation of nanotechnology in agriculture is of interest primarily to improve the growth and productivity of crops, and to minimize the use of traditional expensive chemical fertilizers. This work presents a simple energy-conservative approach for the synthesis of CoCuFeNi high entropy alloy nanoparticles (HEA-NPs) capable of forming a stable suspension with a concentration of 0.3 g/L. The size, composition, and morphology of the nanoparticles were analyzed by XRD, SEM, TEM, and EDS. Obtained HEA-NPs were characterized by fine crystallinity with an average size of 25 nm. The investigated suspensions of HEA-NPs were tested for seeds germination and plants growth. The use of suspension of CoCuFeNi HEA-NPs for plant irrigating together with ordinary water showed positive results in plant biostimulation, which resulted in the plant height up to 12% for watercress and up to 50% for oil radish. CoCuFeNi HEA-NPs showed nice inactivation activity for Pseudomonas aeruginosa that was comparable for the use of Tetracycline.