Unravelling hydrophobic interactions allowing Cu-based nanoparticles to cross tomato leaf cuticle.

Foliar application of nanoparticles (NPs) on plants leaves has the potential to improve plant nutrition and protection. There are major gaps in our understanding of how hydrophobic interactions drive NPs foliar uptake, translocation, and transformation in plant leaves. Our preliminary data indicates that these hydrophobic interactions are a key driver to NPs association with plant cuticle. In this project we propose to study how hydrophobicity and cuticle composition influence NPs transfers and transformations on and in tomato leaves. To do this, we aim at studying the interactions between (i) tomato mutants (cuticle composition and thickness variation) and (ii) Cu-based NPs of various hydrophobicities. Cu-based NP distribution and chemical speciation changes on the surface and inside leaves will be studied. Unravelling the role of cuticle composition and thickness on hydrophobic nanoparticle uptake will be an important step towards developing safe and sustainable agrochemicals.