Sohail & Pirzada et. al, Advanced Functional Materials (2022)

DOI

This study introduces the fabrication of aqueous particulate dispersions of biodegradable cellulose esters (CEs) for efficient delivery of agrochemical active ingredients (AIs) through foliar applications. By varying ester substituent groups, the researchers achieve diverse particle morphologies and sizes while maintaining stability over a year. Rainfastness testing on banana and tomato leaves demonstrates minimal surface coverage loss (as low as 9%), confirming the formulations’ resilience to simulated heavy rainfall. The release kinetics of the model AI fluopyram from different CEs are linked to particle morphology, and thermodynamic analysis reveals spontaneous binding between fluopyram and CEs, supporting a two-step release mechanism.