Amphiphilicity-driven octaphenyl polyoxyethylenes regulate soft microcapsules flexibility for better foliar adhesion and pesticide utilization

Pesticide-loaded flexible carriers that allow for deformation and adhesion on crop leaves is an effective way to improve pesticide utilization.In interfacial polymerization,the addition of octaphenyl polyoxyethylene(OP)with different hydrophile lipophilic balances(HLBs)into the oil phase can regulate the flexibility of pyraclostrobinloaded microcapsules(MCs).Due to differences in amphiphilicity and molecular structure,OP redistributed on the oil-water two-phases and oil-water interface.With increasing HLB,the proportion of OP entering the aqueous phase increased.Furthermore,more OP with low HLB remained in the oil phase and occupied the oil-water interface,and these OPs participated in and regulated the interfacial polymerization to increase the thickness,reduce the compactness of the shell,and increase the hydroxyl and ether bond contents in the shell.Therefore,pyraclostrobin-loaded MCs with low HLB(11.5-12.5)OP-7 exhibited flexible deformation,strong foliar adhesion,good scouring resistance,and a high control effect on peanut leaf spot,which the disease severity was 3.67.For high HLB(16),OP-21-prepared MCs with compact shells were safer to zebrafish,which the safety index was 23.81.Using the amphiphilicity of OP molecules to drive their redistribution in an encapsulation system to regulate interfacial polymerization is an effective way to control the structure and performance of pesticideloaded MCs.

Calibrating and testing the discrete element parameters for peanut seedling film

This study constructed a numerical model using the discrete element software EDEM to address the current lack of calibrated contact parameters for peanut seedling membranes and the absence of precise simulation model parameters for mechanized separation. The Hysteretic Spring Contact Model (HSCM) was employed to calibrate the contact parameters of peanut seedling membranes. The angle of repose of peanut seedling membranes was determined through image processing combined with the least squares method. Through central composite design (CCD), a second-order response model linking the contact parameters to the angle of repose was established. Optimization was achieved by using the angle of repose obtained from physical tests as the objective. Secondary simulation tests were conducted with the calibrated parameters, revealing a relative error of 1.37% between the simulated and physical angles of repose. This confirmed the effectiveness of the parameters in calibrating peanut seedling membrane characteristics. The findings offer theoretical and empirical support for discrete element simulations of peanut seedling membrane separation and peanut straw pulverization processes.