Towards a more sustainable viticulture: foliar application of N-doped calcium phosphate nanoparticles on Tempranillo grapes.

Background: The use of nanomaterials for the efficient delivery of active species in viticulture is still an unexplored opportunity. Nitrogen, an essential nutrient for grapevine development and wine quality, is commonly provided in the form of urea. However, the application of conventional fertilisers contributes to nitrate leaching and denitrification, thus polluting groundwater and causing a serious environmental impact.

Synthesis and Microstructural Investigations of Organometallic Pd(II) Thiol-Gold Nanoparticles Hybrids.

In this work the synthesis and characterization of gold nanoparticles functionalized by a novel thiol-organometallic complex containing Pd(II) centers is presented. Pd(II) thiol, trans, trans-[dithiolate-dibis(tributylphosphine)dipalladium(II)-4,4'-diethynylbiphenyl] was synthesized and linked to Au nanoparticles by the chemical reduction of a metal salt precursor. The new hybrid made of organometallic Pd(II) thiol-gold nanoparticles, shows through a single S bridge a direct link between Pd(II) and Au nanoparticles.