Surface engineering of nanoparticles via physical vapor deposition (PVD): Opportunities and challenges for sustainable agriculture

Although physical vapor deposition (PVD) techniques are widely used in materials science to generate nanoparticles and nanostructured films with high precision, their application in agricultural systems remains largely unexplored. To date, there are no reports in the scientific literature describing the use of nanoparticles synthesized via sputtering or vapor deposition methods in plant-based systems. However, these techniques offer notable advantages, including chemical-free synthesis, high reproducibility, tunable surface chemistry, and scalability, positioning them as valuable tools for future exploration in sustainable agriculture. Thus, surface-engineered nanomaterials produced via these physical methods could, in the near future, play a pivotal role in the development of advanced seed coatings, nano-enabled fertilizers, or abiotic stress mitigation films.