From Bounce to Pump: Natural Clay Nanohybrids Enable Active Interfacial Remodeling for Efficient Herbicide Delivery

Achieving efficient pesticide deposition on recalcitrant hydrophobic foliage remains a critical challenge in sustainable agriculture. Current strategies predominantly focus on unilaterally modifying liquid formulations, treating leaf surfaces as passive substrates, and ignoring the potential for active solid-side regulation. To overcome this limitation, we propose a “bidirectional solid−liquid interfacial regulation” strategy using aqueous natural clay nanohybrids. These hybrids are precisely assembled from attapulgite (ATP) nanorods and sodium bis(2-ethylhexyl) sulfosuccinate (AOT) to co-deliver active ingredients. Distinct from traditional passive adaptation, this strategy enables “active interfacial remodeling.” Specifically, the surfactant rapidly lowers surface tension to trigger initial spreading, while the highly anisotropic ATP nanorods physically intercalate into the waxy cuticle. This constructs an in situ superhydrophilic network, driving a cascade wetting transition via structural disjoining pressure and the Marangoni effect, which ultimately reverses the local Laplace pressure to create an “active pumping” permeation. Pot experiments against Avena fatua L. confirmed that the nanohybrid-delivered glyphosate achieved an 82.4% plant height inhibition (∼3.1-fold enhancement). Furthermore, field trials demonstrated an 89.56% control efficacy against rice stem borers even with a 20% dosage reduction. This work demonstrates a paradigm shift from passive wetting to active remodeling, offering a highly versatile platform for sustainable agrochemical delivery.