02301naa a2200229 a 450000100080000000500110000800800410001902400520006010000200011224501530013226000090028530000160029452015820031065300140189265300150190665300120192170000240193370000170195770000220197470000170199677300580201321560292023-08-21       2023    bl uuuu     u00u1 u    #d7 ahttps://doi.org/10.1007/s10924-023-02769-22DOI1 aPERES, L. G. S.  aBiodegradable Starch Sachets Reinforced with Montmorillonite for Packing ZnO NanoparticlesbSolubility and Zn2+ Ions Release.h[electronic resource]  c2023  a2388 - 2398  aAgriculture?s importance in human lives and the economy has directed studies to improve crop production. An essential challenge for improving fertilizer efficacy is reducing losses due to leaching and increasing nutrient supplies. In this context, biodegradable sachets stand out as internal packaging instead of direct insertion into the polymer matrix, facilitating the system processing and making it easier to adapt the soil?s nutritional quantity. Thus, the present work aimed to increase the zinc oxide (ZnO) solubility by obtaining nanoparticles using top-down and bottom-up approaches and packaging them in montmorillonite (MMT) reinforced starch sachets. The different diameters and forms of the ZnO nanoparticles were evaluated to understand the solubility dependence on these parameters. In this way, the top-down process for the attritor milling method allowed the nanoparticles with about 71 nm average diameter and greater homogeneity than the commercial one (approximately 174 nm). The milled ZnO nanoparticles presented better solubility than those synthesized bottom-up processes and the commercial ones, reaching a 90 to 100% solubility plateau in 48 h. Concerning starch sachets, the 1% MMT (w w−1 ) insertion in the polymeric matrix promoted increased water vapor barrier and mechanical properties, improving tensile strength. In the solubility test for nanoparticulate ZnO packed in sachets, similar behaviors improved properties from the MMT reinforcement insertion showed as an alternative source of Zn2+ ions to minimize losses during application.  aComposite  aFertilizer  aSachets1 aMALAFATTI, J. O. D.1 aBERNARDI, B.1 aMATTOSO, L. H. C.1 aPARIS, E. C.  tJournal of Polymers and the Environmentgv. 31, 2023.