Nanosilica is a versatile nanomaterial suitable as, e.g.,
drug
carriers in medicine, fillers in polymers, and fertilizer/pesticide
carriers and potentially a bioavailable source of silicon in agriculture.
The enhanced biological activity of nanosilica over quartz sand has
been noted before; it is directly related to the altered physicochemical
properties of the nanoparticles compared to those of the bulk material.
Therefore, it is feasible to use nanosilica as a form of plant stimulant.
Nanosilica synthesis is a relatively cheap routine process on the
laboratory scale; however, it is not easily scalable. Largely for
this reason, studies of nanosilica fertilizers are scarce. This study
will focus on industrial-scale silica nanoparticle production and
the application of nanosilica as a plant stimulant in maize. A variant
of the sol–gel method is used to successfully synthesize nanosilica
particles starting from silica sand. The resulting particles are in
the size range of 16–37 nm with great purity. The potential
of nanosilica as a plant stimulant is demonstrated with the increased
quantity and quality of maize crops.