When nano meets plants: A review on the interplay between nanoparticles and plants

Abstract

• Current advances on the interplay between nanotechnology and plants are presented, which can promote the development of research fields including agriculture, food science, nanotechnology, electrical engineering and biomedicine. • Nanoparticles serve plants as growth regulators, pesticides, fertilizers, antimicrobial agents, targeted transporters, biosensors and nano-mimics, promoting the health status of plants. • Plants advance the development of nanotechnology via the preparation of nanoparticles in a way of either direct extraction or plant-mediated biosynthesis, and inspire human to mimic nature. The interplay between nanoparticles (NPs) and plants greatly promotes the development of research fields like nanotechnology, agriculture, food science, electrical engineering and biomedicine. On one hand, nanotechnology has been widely used in plant studies since NPs can act as growth regulators, pesticides, fertilizers, antimicrobial agents, biosensors, and plant mimics. On the other hand, plants can advance the development of nanotechnology including the preparation of NPs and plant-inspired nanobionics. An understanding of the diverse aspects of the interplay between NPs and plants is beneficial to make more achievements while currently there is still relatively little literature discussing this interplay. In this review, we provide a relatively comprehensive overview on the interplay between NPs and plants from two aspects: (1) how NPs serve for plants where NPs can act as growth regulators, pesticides, fertilizers, antimicrobial agents, targeted transporters, biosensors, and plant mimics; and (2) how plants advance the development of nanotechnology where plants can be used for the biosynthesis of NPs and inspire human to mimic nature.