Synthesis and characterization of acetamiprid nanoemulsion by high-energy methods

Abstract

Nanotechnology's application in agriculture has opened up new options for generating nanosized agrochemicals that have the potential to improve efficiency, improve stability, extend the effective duration, and reduce environmental impacts 1 . One of the most pressing difficulties in the agricultural industry is the need to handle pesticide-related issues such as environmental contamination, bioaccumulation, and increases in insect resistance, which necessitates reducing the amount of pesticide sprayed on crops and protecting stored products. Nanotechnology is proving to be an appealing tool for achieving this goal since it provides new ways to synthesize and transport active ingredients known as nanopesticides 1 . Nanoemulsions are particularly well suited to creating lipophilic functional agent delivery systems 2 . The current study uses a high-energy (ultrasound) emulsification approach to create oil-in-water (O/W) acetamiprid nanoemulsions with synthetic and natural additives. The acetamiprid nanoemulsions were spontaneously formed by adding a mixture of acetamiprid and solvent in an aqueous solution containing a surfactant (tween) with continuous stirring. The nanoemulsions were then formed by ultra-sonication. Various characterization techniques for acetamiprid nanoemulsions include particle size analysis (DLS), Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Acetamiprid nanoemulsions are further evaluated by studying thermodynamic stability. This includes a Centrifugation assay, Freezethaw cycle nanoemulsions, Heating-cooling test, stability at room temperature of 25°C, pH measurement, and viscosity measurement. The droplet size and morphology of the acetamiprid nanoemulsions were measured by dynamic light scattering (DLS) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). DLS and TEM measurements showed that acetamiprid nanoemulsions had an almost droplet size distribution (PDI < 200 nm). On this basis, an insecticide acetamiprid was incorporated into an optimized nanoemulsion system to demonstrate potential applications in pest control. Keywords: Acetamiprid nanoemulsion, nanoemulsion characterization, nanoemulsion stability.