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To produce a water-insoluble acidsebacic acidin an environmentally friendly manner, two-phase bipolar membrane electrodialysis (TPBMED) was proposed to convert sodium sebacate into sebacic acid in ethanol−water mixtures. The results indicated that BP-C configuration (BP, bipolar membrane; C, cation-exchange membrane) was better than the other configurations: BP-A (A, anion-exchange membrane), BP-A-C, and BP-A-A. In a TPBMED stack of BP-C configuration, the sodium sebacate could be totally transformed to sebacic acid with a current efficiency of 94% and energy consumption of 2.2 kW h kg−1. The process cost was estimated to be $0.57 kg−1. Nonetheless, to simultaneously dissolve sebacic sodium and sebacic acid, the ethanol content in the mixture was controlled at 60 v/v %, and the maximal concentration of sebacic acid produced was only 0.13 mol dm−3 due to the limit on solubility.

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Prochloraz (Pro) controlled-release nanoparticles (NPs) based on bimodal mesoporous silica (BMMs) with redox and pH dual responses were successfully prepared in this study. BMMs was modified by a silane coupling agent containing a disulfide bond, and β-cyclodextrin (β-CD) was grafted on the surface of the NPs through host–guest interaction. Pro was encapsulated into the pores of nanoparticles by physical adsorption. NPs had a spherical structure, and their average diameter was 546.4 ± 3.0 nm as measured by dynamic light scattering. The loading rate of Pro was 28.3%, and it achieved excellent pH/redox dual-responsive release performance under acidic conditions. Foliage adhesion tests on tomato leaves showed that the NPs had good adhesion properties compared to the commercial formulation. Owing to the protection of the nanocarrier, NPs became more stable under ultraviolet light and high temperature, which improves the efficient utilization of Pro. Biological activity tests showed that the NPs exhibited effective antifungal activity, and the benign biosafety of the nanocarrier was also observed through toxicology tests on cell viability and the growth of Escherichiacoli (E. coli). This work provides a promising approach to improving the efficient utilization of pesticides and reducing environmental pollution.

Integrating pesticides and mineral elements into a multi-functional stimuli-responsive nanocarrier can have a synergistic effect on protecting plants from pesticides and the supply of nutrients. Herein, a pH dual-responsive multifunctional nanosystem regulated by coordination bonding using bimodal mesoporous silica (BMMs) as a carrier and coordination complexes of ferric ion and polymethacrylic acid (PMAA/Fe3+) as the gatekeeper was constructed to deliver prochloraz (Pro) for the smart treatment of wilt disease (Pro@BMMs−PMAA/Fe3+). The loading capacity of Pro@BMMs−PMAA/Fe3+ nanoparticles (Nps) was 24.0% and the “PMMA/Fe3+” complexes deposited on the BMMs surface could effectively protect Pro against photodegradation. The nanoparticles possessed an excellent pH dual-responsive release behavior and better inhibition efficacy against Rhizoctonia solani. Fluorescence tracking experiments showed that Nps could be taken up and transported in fungi and plants, implying that non-systemic pesticides could be successfully delivered into target organisms. Furthermore, BMMS−PMAA/Fe3+ nanocarriers could effectively promote the growth of crop seedlings and had no obvious toxicological influence on the cell viability and the growth of bacteria. This study provides a novel strategy for enhancing plant protection against diseases and reducing the risk to the environment.

The solubilities of sodium 2,6-naphthalene disulfonate and sodium 2,7-naphthalene disulfonate in aqueous solutions of sulfuric acid were measured in the temperature range from (283.15 to 333.15) K by a steadystate method. The solubility of sodium 2,6-naphthalene disulfonate or sodium 2,7-naphthalene disulfonate increases with the increase in temperature from (283.15 to 333.15) K. With the increase in sulfuric acid concentrations, the solubilities of sodium 2,6-naphthalene disulfonate and sodium 2,7-naphthalene disulfonate decrease. At the same temperature and in the same composition of sulfuric acid + water solvent mixtures, the solubility of sodium 2,7-naphthalene disulfonate is larger than that of sodium 2,6-naphthalene disulfonate. Results of these measurements were correlated by a modified Apelblat equation.