Anti-drift nano-stickers made of graphene oxide for targeted pesticide delivery and crop pest control

Pesticide plays an important role in the agricultural production, however more than 90% of pesticide goes non-target. Present study, uses reduced graphene oxide for controlled and targeted pesticide delivery, as it can bind drug until native larval gut condition appears. Graphene oxide is not reported for pesticide delivery and here with reference to graphene oxide ∼400% pesticide loading (w/w) is observed. The graphene oxide is decorated with copper selenide, which have photothermal and photocatalytic property. Photothermal property complements with graphene oxide in pesticide delivery, which may control diurnal pest. The photocatalytic property aid in programmed pesticide residue degradation in the offsite. This nano-carrier shows drift resistance in addition to targeted release, which enhanced larval mortality by >35%.

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