Nanostructures for Mass-Transport and Delivery.

The mass carrier of molecules and/or ions finds applications in many biological fields and, in the plant kingdom, the mass transport is essential to life. Transport phenomena in the electronic and photonic fields have profoundly been influenced by the development of nanotechnology. Can mass transport of metal ions in the agriculture sector be performed and improved by nanotechnology? To give a positive answer, the design of molecular architectures able to transfer mass is a field extremely important to develop. In this context, we have designed and synthesized some nanostructures able to interchange metal ions upon an external trigger, by exposing to a mass transport phenomenon their surfaces. We also have studied the dynamics of this transport phenomenon. These nanoarchitectures can be used to activate the release of different cations and their delivery where and when they are necessary to perform smart fertilizations with metal ions (Na, K, Ca, Mg, Mn, Zn, Cu, Mo, Co, Fe etc.).