A Facile and Safe Route to Fabricate Boscalid‐Loaded ZIF‐8 Nanoparticles With Efficient Antibacterial Activity and Long‐Sustained Release

ABSTRACT Synthesis of ZIF‐8 mainly uses zinc nitrate hexahydrate (Zn(NO 3 ) 2 .6H 2 O) as the zinc source. Zn (NO 3 ) 2 .6H 2 O is flammable, explosive, and highly corrosive, posing a threat to human health. It also requires a molar ratio of 2‐methylimidazole to zinc source greater than 20, resulting in increased costs. In this work, a pH‐sensitive controlled‐release nano‐capsule of fungicide, ZIF‐8@Boscalid, was established using green zinc sources (zinc sulfate and zinc acetate) and was prepared based on metal–organic framework (ZIF‐8) for higher antifungal effect and low bio‐toxicity. The loading ratio is as high as 34%. In addition, the release of fungicide Boscalid showed pH‐sensitive response due to the weak acidic group in the ZIF structure, in which the rate of release was more rapid under acid condition (< 5). Cumulative release rates of the ZIF‐8(A)@Boscalid system and ZIF‐8(S)@Boscalid system were 76.15% and 86.22%, respectively. Meanwhile, the antifungal effect of ZIF‐8@Boscalid was 1.5 times more of that commercially available product on CI‐8 at the concentration of 300 mg/L, and the antibacterial activity values of the ZIF‐8(A)@Boscalid system and ZIF‐8(S)@Boscalid system against CJ‐8 were 84.54% and 78.65%, respectively. Furthermore, the obtained ZIF‐8@Boscalid system using the method described in this article exhibited certain UV resistance. Thus, this work not only proves that ZIF‐8@Boscalid could be used as nanoparticles platform for smart control over CJ‐8 but also has great potential effective utilization of Boscalid and achieving sustained release.