Chemodynamic Metal-Phenolic Nanopesticide Performs In Situ Hydrogen Peroxide Self-Supply against Plant Pathogens for Food Sustainability

The growing reliance on pesticides for food sustainability has led to environmental pollution and food safety concerns. Herein, we present a chemodynamic strategy using a Fenton-type nanopesticide, referred to as metal-phenolic ROS-nanogenerator (nanoRSG), to enhance the control of two widely spreading plant pathogens ( Pseudomonas syringae and Fusarium oxysporum ). The nanoRSG is constructed by the supramolecular self-assembly of natural polyphenols and Cu 2+ ions, followed by an in situ transition into phenolic-stabilized CuO 2 nanoclusters with the aid of hydroxide ions in the presence of H 2 O 2 . Subsequently, the nanoRSG decomposes in the pathogenic-relevant microenvironment into Fenton-catalyzed H 2 O 2 and Cu 2+ ions, followed by the highly efficient Fenton reactions for generating •O 2 – to damage pathogenic cell membranes. Regarding curative effects on tomato leaves against P. syringae and F. oxysporum, nanoRSG outperforms the commercial Kocide 3000 formulations with 94.7 and 86.9% increasing efficacy, respectively. Moreover, for curative activity on tomato roots, nanoRSG also has a better performance (87.8 and 78.9%) than Kocide 3000 (31.3 and 43.9%). Besides, the biosafety of nanoRSG is confirmed by toxicity tests in zebrafish and lettuce cultivation in a field test of hydroponics. Our findings demonstrate that the metal-phenolic nanoenabled strategy offers a promising formulation for innovating conventional pesticides and enhancing food sustainability.