Due to their outstanding properties, bioadhesive hydrogels have been extensively studied by researchers in recent years. By designing the properties of bioadhesive hydrogel, it can be reasonably applied to biomedicine....
There has been advancement in the preparation of coated slow-release fertilizer, but problems remain, such as a complex production process, high production costs, and uncontrollable nutrient release. Herein, a new interpenetrating polymer network (IPN) for coating urea was prepared with inexpensive castor oil via a one-pot method. Considering the low strength of oil-based materials, sulfur was used as a reinforcing material to synthesize the interpenetrating network. After prepolymerization, the material strength increased by a maximum of 455.9% and the antiswelling ability increased by 46.10%; however, the thermal stability decreased. The results show that the nutrient release longevity of coatings with only 5.0 wt % polymer could reach 210 days, which is probably the widest applicability range reported so far. Furthermore, a nutrient release model was established to provide guidance for the preparation of slow-release fertilizers suitable for the growth of different plants. Pot experiments show that different slow-release fertilizers have different promoting effects on plant growth, and selecting a suitable slow-release fertilizer according to the needs can maximize the nutrient utilization efficiency. This work offers a simple and effective method to prepare slow-release fertilizers and can guide their development.
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