The Use of Folate/Zinc Supramolecular Hydrogels to Increase Droplet Deposition on Chenopodium album L. Leaves

Pesticide spraying droplets are prone to break and splash when they reach the leaf surface, especially for hydrophobic leaves. The lost pesticide will not deposit on the leaf surface to exert its effect, which eventually enters the environment to cause pollution and even endanger human health. The need to increase spray droplet deposition on plant leaf surfaces has been a great challenge. Many recent studies have increased the deposition of droplets by adding surfactants to spray liquids to reduce surface tension. Here, we propose a carrier system that is a coordination-triggered hierarchical folate/zinc supramolecular hydrogel loaded with pesticide active ingredient to improve the deposition of pesticide droplets. Rather than enhancing deposition by reducing the surface tension like surfactants, the pesticide-loaded folate/zinc hydrogel restricts the movement of liquid droplets through internal cross-linking to form nanofiber networks, thereby suppressing drop broken splashing and bouncing. Morever, the folate/zinc hydrogel is a biocompatible carrier with abundant raw material sources and simple preparation. The research in this paper provides new insights and directions for the study of green pesticide formulations and the enhancement of pesticide droplet deposition.