Synthesis of novel mesoporous carbon nanoparticles and their phytotoxicity to rice (Oryza sativa L.)

Abstract Despite the remarkable number of investigations on the potential risks of the engineered nanomaterials (ENMs) to terrestrial plants, there was limited knowledge regarding the effects of mesoporous carbon nanoparticles (MCNs) with different sizes on crops. The objective of our study was to evaluate the toxicity of MCNs to rice ( Oryza sativa L. ) seedlings. Two novel MCNs with different particle sizes (MCN1: 150 and MCN2: 80 nm) were synthesized using the high-temperature pyrolysis method and characterized by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Raman spectra. Phytotoxicity of two MCNs was then comparatively evaluated using rice as a model plant. The rice seedlings were hydroponically exposed to both MCN suspensions with concentrations of 0, 10, 50, 150 mg/L for 20 days. Exposure to 150 mg/L MCN1 resulted in more than 21% and 29% decrease in root length and in shoot length, respectively. MCN2 significantly reduced the root and shoot lengths by approximately 70% and 57% at the concentration of 150 mg/L. Additionally, the concentrations of three endogenous phytohormones, including brassinolide (BR), indole propionic acid (IPA), and dihydrozeatinriboside (DHZR) in plant shoots were increased significantly compared with the control. Our findings illustrated that size-effects of MCNs contributed greatly in causing phytotoxicity to plants, which should have drawn our attention to the use of these novel ENMs in agriculture given the evidence of their potential risks to crops. More importantly, this is the first study on assessment of the phytotoxicity of MCNs to rice seedlings from the perspective of plant hormones.