Gecko-Foot-Inspired Pesticide Delivery System with Synergistic Effect of Strong Adhesion and On-Demand Controlled...

Low pesticide utilization primarily arises from the difficulty of existing delivery systems in concurrently achieving robust interfacial adhesion and intelligent controlled-release properties. Inspired by the hierarchical nanostructure of gecko toe pads, this study constructed nanoscale bioinspired adhesive-foot microspheres (EB@UIO-66-NH₂@PDA@SiO₂) for intelligent delivery of pesticide. This delivery system established a unique "burst release-sustained release" dual-release kinetics. The SiO₂ nanoclusters facilitated an initial rapid release response (30% of emamectin benzoate (EB) was burst released in the first 20 h), so that the pesticide can quickly reach the effective insecticidal concentration. While the stable UIO-66-NH₂ core contributes to the sustained release of EB and allows the release of EB in response to stimulus, precisely matching the pest outbreak pattern during crop growth. More importantly, the gecko-like adhesion achieved through the synergistic enhancement of polydopamine (PDA)'s mussel-inspired chemical bonding and SiO₂'s physical topological matching significantly increased the foliar retention rate on cabbage leaves by 2.3-fold compared to conventional formulations. By synergistically enhancing carrier adhesion and constructing a smart responsive release system, this approach successfully resolves the long-standing industry challenge of adhesion/release imbalance in pesticide delivery, and enabling precise targeted delivery and significantly improving pesticide utilization efficiency.