Chemodynamic Metal-Phenolic Nanopesticide Performs In Situ Hydrogen Peroxide Self-Supply against Plant Pathogens for Food Sustainability

The growing reliance on pesticides for food sustainability has led to environmental pollution and food safety concerns. Herein, we present a chemodynamic strategy using a Fenton-type nanopesticide, referred to as metal-phenolic ROS-nanogenerator (nanoRSG), to enhance the control of two widely spreading plant pathogens (Pseudomonas syringae and Fusarium oxysporum). The nanoRSG is constructed by the supramolecular self-assembly of natural polyphenols and Cu2+ ions, followed by an in situ transition into phenolic-stabilized CuO2 nanoclusters with the aid of hydroxide ions in the presence of H2O2. Subsequently, the nanoRSG decomposes in the pathogenic-relevant microenvironment into Fenton-catalyzed H2O2 and Cu2+ ions, followed by the highly efficient Fenton reactions for generating •O2– to damage pathogenic cell membranes. Regarding curative effects on tomato leaves against P. syringae and F. oxysporum, nanoRSG outperforms the commercial Kocide 3000 formulations with 94.7 and 86.9% increasing efficacy, respectively. Moreover, for curative activity on tomato roots, nanoRSG also has a better performance (87.8 and 78.9%) than Kocide 3000 (31.3 and 43.9%). Besides, the biosafety of nanoRSG is confirmed by toxicity tests in zebrafish and lettuce cultivation in a field test of hydroponics. Our findings demonstrate that the metal-phenolic nanoenabled strategy offers a promising formulation for innovating conventional pesticides and enhancing food sustainability.