title: Controlling nitrogen migration through micro-nano networks.
abstract: Nitrogen fertilizer unabsorbed by crops eventually discharges into the environment through runoff, leaching and volatilization, resulting in three-dimensional (3D) pollution spanning from underground into space. Here we describe an approach for controlling nitrogen loss, developed using loss control fertilizer (LCF) prepared by adding modified natural nanoclay (attapulgite) to traditional fertilizer. In the aqueous phase, LCF self-assembles to form 3D micro/nano networks via hydrogen bonds and other weak interactions, obtaining a higher nitrogen spatial scale so that it is retained by a soil filtering layer. Thus nitrogen loss is reduced and sufficient nutrition for crops is supplied, while the pollution risk of the fertilizer is substantially lowered. As such, self-fabrication of nano-material was used to manipulate the nitrogen spatial scale, which provides a novel and promising approach for the research and control of the migration of other micro-scaled pollutants in environmental medium.
authors.affiliation: 1] Key Laboratory of Ion Beam Bioengineering of Chinese Academy of Sciences & Anhui Province, Hefei 230031, People's Republic of China [2] Bioenergy Forest Research Centre of State Forestry Administration, Hefei 230031, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Dongqing
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cai
authors.affiliation: 1] Key Laboratory of Ion Beam Bioengineering of Chinese Academy of Sciences & Anhui Province, Hefei 230031, People's Republic of China [2] Bioenergy Forest Research Centre of State Forestry Administration, Hefei 230031, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Zhengyan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: 1] Key Laboratory of Ion Beam Bioengineering of Chinese Academy of Sciences & Anhui Province, Hefei 230031, People's Republic of China [2] Bioenergy Forest Research Centre of State Forestry Administration, Hefei 230031, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Jiang
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jiang
authors.affiliation: 1] Key Laboratory of Ion Beam Bioengineering of Chinese Academy of Sciences & Anhui Province, Hefei 230031, People's Republic of China [2] Bioenergy Forest Research Centre of State Forestry Administration, Hefei 230031, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Yuejin
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.affiliation: 1] Key Laboratory of Ion Beam Bioengineering of Chinese Academy of Sciences & Anhui Province, Hefei 230031, People's Republic of China [2] Bioenergy Forest Research Centre of State Forestry Administration, Hefei 230031, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Huiyun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Feng
authors.affiliation: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley CA 94720, USA.
authors.forename: Ian G
authors.initials: IG
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Materials Science, City University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Paul K
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Chu
authors.affiliation: 1] Key Laboratory of Ion Beam Bioengineering of Chinese Academy of Sciences & Anhui Province, Hefei 230031, People's Republic of China [2] Bioenergy Forest Research Centre of State Forestry Administration, Hefei 230031, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Zengliang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Yu
mesh_terms: D000180:Acrylic Resins / Q000737:chemistry; D018556:Crops, Agricultural; D004787:Environmental Pollution; D005308:Fertilizers; D017616:Magnesium Compounds / Q000737:chemistry; D049329:Nanostructures / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D009584:Nitrogen / Q000737:chemistry*; D012542:Scattering, Radiation; D017655:Silicon Compounds / Q000737:chemistry; D017550:Spectroscopy, Fourier Transform Infrared; D014508:Urea / Q000737:chemistry; D014965:X-Rays; D000099166:Polyacrylamides
chemical_list: D000180:Acrylic Resins; D005308:Fertilizers; D017616:Magnesium Compounds; D009584:Nitrogen; D017655:Silicon Compounds; D014508:Urea; D000099166:Polyacrylamides; C026325:attapulgite