Antifungal and controlled release properties of hymexazol-chitosan-graphene oxide composite

Pesticide carrier systems possess various advantages such as prolonged storage, lowered toxicity, and reduced environmental pollution of pesticides. Controlled release of pesticides from carriers can enhance the durability of the pesticide effect, reduce the pesticide application frequency and environmental pollution, and promote sustainable agricultural development, which represents a significant direction for the advancement of modern agriculture. Chitosan-graphene oxide (GO-CS) has been demonstrated as a promising carrier of drugs, but its application in pesticide delivery in agriculture remains largely unexplored. In this work, we synthesized a hymexazol-chitosan-graphene oxide composite (HGC) and investigated its release behavior at various temperature and pH levels to examine its antifungal activities. HGC was characterized using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). In the antifungal experiment, the best GO-CS to hymexazol (HYM) ratio was determined to be 3: 7. Antifungal tests demonstrated remarkable antifungal properties of HGC. In the sustained-release experiment, HGC demonstrated a loading efficiency of 51.64 % for HYM. Sustained-release experiments revealed that the maximum sustained release occurred at 45 °C, with a release rate of 56.78 %. Hence, GO-CS emerges as a promising carrier for pesticides, and can be used to reduce both pesticide use and environmental pollution, providing significant implications for pest control in agricultural practices.