Boron Nitride Reinforced Supramolecular Gels Nano-Assembled with Fungicides toward Soil-Borne Fungal Disease...

To overcome limitations of conventional fungicides against soil-borne diseases like southern blight, this study develops h-BN-reinforced supramolecular gels for precision tebuconazole (Teb) delivery. These gels are engineered organic solvent free via one-step amino-amide self-assembly with polyprotic acids. h-BN nanosheets embed uniformly within the gel matrices with narrowing pore distributions and enhancing mechanical stability. h-BN's hydrophobicity, affinity for the gel's carbon chains, and π-π interactions with Teb collectively restricts Teb diffusion, reducing its cumulative release rate. The gels' inherent pH and temperature-responsive gel-sol transitions enable dual stimuli-responsive sustained fungicide release. The h-BN reinforced carriers exhibit superior interfacial properties, reducing contact angles due to h-BN's hydrophobicity and capillary channel formation. Fluorescence after rinsing confirms significantly boosted adhesion and rain resistance versus commercial formulations. Interactions with soil are tunable by h-BN disrupted the supramolecular structure, exposing Teb for moderate soil adsorption while extending Teb retention time (940 min, 14.69 times longer than free Teb) and enhancing root-zone retention (41.45% vs. 13.48% for commercial). Such system also shows superior efficacy against Sclerotium rolfsii (EC₅₀ reduced by 54.10%), achieving complete mycelial suppression in pot trials while promoting root growth. The nano-assemble also reduces phytotoxicity. This work combines h-BN's adhesive strength with supramolecular stimuli-responsiveness for targeted, eco-friendly disease management.