Boron nitride nanosheets via arginine-assisted embedded with phosphomolybdic acid as pesticide carriers for visualization in pest control

To achieve the visualization of pesticides within plants, the development of fluorescent carriers is particularly important. Herein, arginine (Arg) was applied as a bridge agent to simultaneously exfoliate and functionalize boron nitride nanosheets (BNNS) via a mechanochemistry approach. Subsequently, phosphomolybdic acid (PMA) was grafted onto the structure to facilitate in-plant visualization and supply plant nutrients, yielding a BNNS-Arg-PMA carrier with a PMA content of 29.02 %. Compared to pristine h-BN, the resulting carrier exhibits a smaller average size of approximately 297 nm and a specific surface area increased to 57.017 m 2 ·g −1 . Furthermore, the abamectin (AVM) loading capacity of BNNS-Arg-PMA reaches 175.9 mg·g −1 , and the carrier significantly slows the release rate of AVM. It also effectively reduces the phytotoxicity of AVM on seed germination, demonstrating enhanced biosafety. Additionally, BNNS-Arg-PMA promotes plant growth, with markedly increased contents of nutrients phosphorus (P) and molybdenum (Mo), rising from original values of 0.316 % and 0.001 % to 2.484 % and 0.598 %, respectively. Moreover, BNNS-Arg-PMA exhibits stronger and more localized fluorescence compared to free PMA, allowing visual fluorescence-based tracking in the agricultural scene. The intrinsic fluorescence enables monitoring of pesticide carrier residues around rhizosphere without the need for external fluorescent labels.