Speciality Chemicals Magazine October_November 2018

Nanoparticles:
no small matter
Translational science and research organisation,
Fera Science Ltd, explains the roadmap to a future
reaping the benefits of nanotechnology.
Though usually associated with
modern science, nanoparticles
have been discussed as far back
as fourth century Rome and
were first described in scientific
terms by Michael Faraday in his
1847 paper. Today, these minute
particles have many potential uses,
including in crop protection.
Nanoparticles are particles
between one and 100 nanometers
(nm) in size surrounded by an
interfacial layer comprising ions,
inorganic and organic molecules.
A nanoparticle behaves like an
independent unit with respect to its
transport and is commonly used
in many areas of innovation, from
zinc oxide nanoparticles in sun
creams that block ultraviolet rays,
to detecting harmful compounds in
agrichemicals such as pesticides.
S The potential for the use of nanoparticles
in water treatment such as water filtration
is too compelling to ignore, despite the
potential risks.
Nanotechnology and
agrichemicals
Developments in nanotechnology
will have a huge impact on the
agricultural sector, which is heavily
reliant on continuous innovation to
ensure crop protection.
One example of this is the work
by Yang Hongshun, assistant
professor from the National
University of Singapore’s
Food Science and Technology
Programme, who has developed
a strategy to detect pesticides
during screening procedures
using polystyrene coated
magnetic nanoparticles.
The technique adds the particles to
a liquid sample of vegetable crops.
Their magnetic core effectively
attracts traces of pyrethroids and
extracts them for analysis. As
researchers can reuse the particles
as many as thirty times using this
method, the screening process is
more time- and cost-efficient than
traditional screening methods.
Using nanotechnology in
agrichemicals will also help to
increase crop yields. Formulating
chemicals with nanoparticles
could improve their targeted delivery
and efficiency. However, there is
little comprehensive research that
compares the benefits and risks of
nanoagrichemicals with conventional
plant protection products.
By shrinking pesticide droplets
to a minuscule size, there is broad
consensus – from industry
and academia to the
Environmental Protection Agency –
that the amount of toxins
sprayed onto crops could be
significantly reduced.
Smaller droplets have a higher
total surface area, which gives
them greater contact with crop
pests. In addition, these tiny
particles can be modified so
that their physical shell can
better withstand degradation
in the environment, offering
more durable protection than
conventional pesticides. However,
this shell can change what had
been considered as predictable
physical properties, such as how
soluble the chemical is in water.
Hazards
As their huge surface area to
volume ratio makes nanoparticles
significantly more reactive, they
have extremely high mobility,
allowing them to react with a
large number of molecules in a
very short timescale.
This means that nanoparticles
can be used to remove sediment,
chemical effluents, charged
particles and even kill bacteria
by releasing silver ions. However,
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