Structural control and stabilization application cases of nanocellulose in pesticide formulations

1. Application background

In modern pesticide formulations, water-based, low solvation and high safety have become the mainstream development directions. However, traditional pesticide formulations still face multiple technical challenges in practical applications:

Active ingredients have low solubility in water and are prone to sedimentation or stratification.

The preparation has insufficient long-term storage stability and is prone to agglomeration, delamination or crystallization.

During the spraying process, the droplets are unevenly distributed, and the adhesion rate and utilization rate are low.

To ensure stability, a large amount of surfactants must be used, which brings environmental and safety pressures.

The customer hopes to introduce a high-efficiency, low-adding-amount, environmentally friendly functional material that can significantly improve the structural stability and application efficiency of pesticide formulations without changing the existing production process.

As a high-performance material with natural origin and designable structure, nanocellulose can show significant advantages in pesticide formulation systems due to its unique three-dimensional network structure, high surface area, good hydrophilic dispersion, high transparency, stable chemical properties, and rich surface hydroxyl groups that can be modified.

What is nanocellulose？

Cellulose nanofibers ( CNF) are ultrafine cellulose fibers made from wood. Wood pulp (papermaking raw material) produced through traditional papermaking technology is relaxed to the nanometer level. This is a new material derived from biomass, also known as nanocellulose.

CNF is as thin as a few nanometers, is considered transparent, has unique viscous properties, is light and strong, and has less deformation due to temperature changes, and is used in many fields.

● Nano = one millionth of the length of 1 millimeter

Process of producing nanocellulose CNF from wood pulp

1. The wood is crushed into small pieces and processed into wood chips (about 5cm wide and about 1cm thick)

2. Extract fiber from wood chips and make pulp in paper mill

3. The pulp is chemically treated to make it thinner and easier to loosen (chemical modification).

4. Apply high pressure to loosen wood fibers (pulp)

We chemically treat the pulp produced in the mill and introduce ionic functional groups into the cellulose, which forms wood fibers. The electrostatic repulsion of this functional group promotes nanoscale defibrillation of fibers while ensuring stable diffusion of elongated fibers in the range of a few nanometers (a few nanometers).

Fibers that are as thin as a few nanometers are thinner than the wavelength of visible light (400 nanometers to 700 nanometers), so they pass the light and become transparent.

2. Scientific principles for the introduction of nanocellulose

Nanocellulose is a nanoscale material derived from natural cellulose with a high aspect ratio, high specific surface area and abundant surface hydroxyl groups . In pesticide formulation systems, its function is not ' thickening ' in the traditional sense, but plays a key role through multi-scale structural regulation :

1. Three-dimensional network suspension and anti-sedimentation mechanism

Nanocellulose can form a stable three-dimensional fiber network in the aqueous phase

Effectively ' captures ' and supports hydrophobic pesticide particles, inhibiting gravity settlement

Significantly reduces the risk of collision and agglomeration between particles

2. Interface adsorption and dispersion stability

Nanocellulose can be adsorbed on the surface of pesticide particles to form a flexible protective layer

Reduce van der Waals forces between particles and improve system dispersion uniformity

Reduce reliance on traditional high-dose surfactants

3. Rheology control and application adaptability

Confer to formulationspseudoplastic rheological behavior

The system is stable when left standing and flows smoothly when sprayed.

Conducive to spray droplet formation and leaf spreading

3. Customer core needs

Improve the long-term stability of suspension concentrates ( SC ), water-dispersible granules ( WDG ) and other preparations

Reduce the risk of settling, agglomeration and delamination

Improve spraying performance and increase pesticide utilization rate

Meet environmental protection regulations and the development direction of green preparations

4. Application plan and implementation path

1. Preparation system construction

Introducing low-added nanocellulose into water-based pesticide formulations

Used in conjunction with original dispersant and wetting agent systems

2. Dispersion and processing

Uniform dispersion of nanocellulose through high-speed shearing or homogenization process

Maintain the original preparation process and adapt to industrial production

3. Performance verification

Validate stability through accelerated sedimentation, thermal storage and freeze-thaw cycle testing

Systematic evaluation of spray performance, rheological behavior and redispersibility

5. Practical application effects

The performance of pesticide formulations after the introduction of nanocellulose has significantly improved in a number of key indicators:

Significantly enhanced suspension stability

No obvious settlement or hard settling during long-term storage

Good redispersibility and can be restored evenly by shaking slightly

Preparation structure is more stable

The particles are evenly distributed and the system is not easy to stratify.

Effectively inhibit crystallization and agglomeration phenomena

Improved application efficiency

The spray droplets are even and the adhesion is improved

Conducive to the even distribution of active ingredients on the crop surface

Green and safety advantages are outstanding

Reduce the dosage of traditional additives

In line with the development trend of green pesticides and sustainable agriculture

6. Performance comparison analysis

Performance metrics	Traditional pesticide preparations	Nanocellulose reinforced formulation
Suspension stability	generally	Significantly improved
Subsidence trend	Easy to settle	Highly stable
Redispersibility	generally	Excellent
Spray uniformity	ordinary	Significant improvement
environmental friendliness	limited	Significantly improved

7. Case summary

This case shows that nanocellulose, as a multifunctional structural control material , can simultaneously achieve suspension stability, rheology adjustment and application performance optimization in pesticide formulations. By constructing a stable nanoscale network structure, it fundamentally improves the physical stability and application reliability of pesticide preparations.

This application path for the upgrading of pesticide preparations to provides a mature and replicable solution high-efficiency, green, and low-additive directions, and has clear engineering promotion value.

( Schematic diagram of the three-dimensional network structure of nanocellulose )

Inquiry about nanocellulose

Nanjing Tianlu Nanotechnology Co., Ltd. ，Marketing Department , Nanocellulose Promotion Office

Address: Room 301, Building 2, Phase 3, No. 1, Yuepu Yunchuang Center, No. 6 Shuige Road, Jiangning District

Telephone:18061643560