Poloxamer‐Enabled Thermoresponsive Biobased Controlled‐Release Fertilizer for On‐Demand Nutrient Delivery
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: ABSTRACT Synchronizing nutrient release of fertilizers with crop uptake remains a central challenge in precision agriculture. Here, we present a novel temperature‐responsive biobased controlled‐release fertilizer (TRBFs) incorporating Poloxamer 407 (F127) as a thermal switch within a castor oil‐derived polyurethane coating. The optimized TRBF10 (3 wt.% coating rate, 10 wt.% F127 in coating) exhibits a sharp, reversible phase transition at ∼20°C, matching the phenological requirements of overwintering crops. As quantified by digital refractometry, the 30‐day cumulative nitrogen release is suppressed to 9.22% at 10°C (crop dormancy) and increases 8.7‐fold to 80.32% at 30°C (active growth). This scalable technology overcomes intrinsic limitations of conventional diffusion‐controlled coated fertilizers and offers potential for on‐demand nutrient delivery with reduced environmental loss. Our work establishes sustainable strategies for climate‐adaptive precision agriculture and offers new insights and design paradigms for intelligent controlled‐release materials.
Source: Advanced Science
DOI: 10.1002/advs.78371
Language: English
Subfield: Biomedical Engineering
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $6,730
OpenAlex ID: W7222872607