Home > News > Carbon Nanotubes Are Super Fertilizer
September 25th, 2009
Carbon Nanotubes Are Super Fertilizer
Abstract:
Researchers at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Nanotechnology Center have found that exposing tomato seeds to carbon nanotubes makes tomato plants sprout earlier and grow more quickly. They write in the journal ACS Nano that these results, though preliminary, suggest that carbon nanotubes could be a boon for the agriculture and biofuel industries and lead to new types of fertilizers:
Here, we demonstrated that the exposure of carbon nanotubes to seeds of valuable crops, such as tomatoes, can increase the germination percentage and support and enhance the growth of seedlings. Furthering these findings could result in significant developments of improved plants for the area of energy, by taking advantage of the enhancement in the biomass of the plants when they are exposed to nanosized materials and fertilizers.
It seems that the long, skinny, strawlike structures promote water uptake, because seeds exposed to carbon nanotubes contained more moisture.
This is certainly cool, but it's hard to say whether it's good news or bad. Using carbon nanotubes as fertilizer could have unintended consequences. The effects of nanomaterials on the environment, and the ways they move through organisms and the food chain, aren't very well understood. Some studies of these effects have had alarming results. In one, single-walled nanotubes were found to be toxic to fruit flies; another showed that multilayered nanotubes, the kind used in the tomato-plant study, have the same carcinogenic effects as asbestos in the lungs of mice.
Source:
technologyreview.com
Bookmark:
| Related News Press |
News and information
Sensors innovations for smart lithium-based batteries: advancements, opportunities, and potential challenges August 8th, 2025
Deciphering local microstrain-induced optimization of asymmetric Fe single atomic sites for efficient oxygen reduction August 8th, 2025
Lab to industry: InSe wafer-scale breakthrough for future electronics August 8th, 2025
Nanotubes/Buckyballs/Fullerenes/Nanorods/Nanostrings
Enhancing power factor of p- and n-type single-walled carbon nanotubes April 25th, 2025
Chainmail-like material could be the future of armor: First 2D mechanically interlocked polymer exhibits exceptional flexibility and strength January 17th, 2025
Innovative biomimetic superhydrophobic coating combines repair and buffering properties for superior anti-erosion December 13th, 2024
Discoveries
Deciphering local microstrain-induced optimization of asymmetric Fe single atomic sites for efficient oxygen reduction August 8th, 2025
ICFO researchers overcome long-standing bottleneck in single photon detection with twisted 2D materials August 8th, 2025
New molecular technology targets tumors and simultaneously silences two ‘undruggable’ cancer genes August 8th, 2025
Simple algorithm paired with standard imaging tool could predict failure in lithium metal batteries August 8th, 2025
Announcements
Sensors innovations for smart lithium-based batteries: advancements, opportunities, and potential challenges August 8th, 2025
Deciphering local microstrain-induced optimization of asymmetric Fe single atomic sites for efficient oxygen reduction August 8th, 2025
Japan launches fully domestically produced quantum computer: Expo visitors to experience quantum computing firsthand August 8th, 2025
ICFO researchers overcome long-standing bottleneck in single photon detection with twisted 2D materials August 8th, 2025
Food/Agriculture/Supplements
New imaging approach transforms study of bacterial biofilms August 8th, 2025
SMART researchers pioneer first-of-its-kind nanosensor for real-time iron detection in plants February 28th, 2025
Silver nanoparticles: guaranteeing antimicrobial safe-tea November 17th, 2023
 |
||
 |
||
| The latest news from around the world, FREE | ||
 |
||
|
|
||
| Premium Products | ||
 |
||
|
Only the news you want to read!
Learn More |
||
 |
||
|
Full-service, expert consulting
Learn More |
||
|
|
||