Nanomaterials are used in practically every aspect of modern life, including agriculture. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of iron oxide nanoparticles (Fe2O3 NPs) as a fertilizer to replace traditional Fe fertilizers, which have various shortcomings. The effects of the Fe2O3 NPs and a chelated-Fe fertilizer (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid-Fe; EDTA-Fe) fertilizer on the growth and development of peanut (Arachis hypogaea), a crop that is very sensitive to Fe deficiency, were studied in a pot experiment. The results showed that Fe2O3 NPs increased root length, plant height, biomass, and SPAD values of peanut plants. The Fe2O3 NPs promoted the growth of peanut by regulating phytohormone contents and antioxidant enzyme activity. The Fe contents in peanut plants with Fe2O3 NPs and EDTA-Fe treatments were higher than the control group. We used energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) to quantitatively analyze Fe in the soil. Peanut is usually cultivated in sandy soil, which is readily leached of fertilizers. However, the Fe2O3 NPs adsorbed onto sandy soil and improved the availability of Fe to the plants. Together, these results show that Fe2O3 NPs can replace traditional Fe fertilizers in the cultivation of peanut plants. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first research on the Fe2O3 NPs as the iron fertilizer.

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MXene represents new kinds of two-dimensional material transition metal carbides and/or carbonitrides, which have attracted much attention in various applications including electrochemical storage devices, catalysts, and polymer composite. Here, we report a facile method to synthesize Ti3C2Tx MXene nanosheets and prepare a novel electrically conductive adhesive based on epoxy resin filled with Ti3C2Tx MXene nanosheets by solution blending. The structure, morphology, and performance of Ti3C2Tx MXene nanosheets and epoxy/Ti3C2Tx MXene nanosheets composite were investigated. The results show that Ti3C2Tx MXene possesses nanosheet structure. Ti3C2Tx MXene nanosheets were homogeneously dispersed in epoxy resin. Electrical conductivity and mechanical properties measurements reveal that the epoxy/Ti3C2Tx MXene nanosheet composite exhibited both good electrical conductivity (4.52 × 10−4 S/m) and favorable mechanical properties (tensile strength of 66.2 MPa and impact strength of 24.2 kJ/m2) when the content of Ti3C2Tx MXene nanosheets is 1.2 wt %. Thus, Ti3C2Tx MXene is a promising filler for electrically conductive adhesive with high electric conductivity and high mechanical performance.

Nanoparticles (NPs) have great potential for use in the fields of biomedicine, building materials, and environmental protection because of their antibacterial properties. However, there are few reports regarding the antifungal activities of NPs on plants. In this study, we evaluated the antifungal roles of NPs against Botrytis cinerea, which is a notorious worldwide fungal pathogen. Three common carbon nanomaterials, multi-walled carbon nanotubes, fullerene, and reduced graphene oxide, and three commercial metal oxidant NPs, copper oxide (CuO) NPs, ferric oxide (Fe2O3) NPs, and titanium oxides (TiO2) NPs, were independently added to water-agar plates at 50 and 200-mg/L concentrations. Detached rose petals were inoculated with spores of B. cinerea and co-cultured with each of the six nanomaterials. The sizes of the lesions on infected rose petals were measured at 72 h after inoculation, and the growth of fungi on the rose petals was observed by scanning electron microscopy. The six NPs inhibited the growth of B. cinerea, but different concentrations had different effects: 50 mg/L of fullerene and CuO NPs showed the strongest antifungal properties among the treatments, while 200 mg/L of CuO and Fe2O3 showed no significant antifungal activities. Thus, NPs may have antifungal activities that prevent B. cinerea infections in plants, and they could be used as antifungal agents during the growth and post-harvesting of roses and other flowers.

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