Nitrite-responsive hydrogel for long-term and smart control of cyanobacteria bloom

Frequent cyanobacteria bloom has caused serious environmental consequences and economic loss, especially in aquaculture. Direct algaecide addition, the most commonly used method, suffered from the poor control and overdose of algaecide. In this manuscript, we designed a smart nitrite-responsive hydrogel (DHPG) loading algaecide (BZK@DHPG) based on selective crosslinker: a kind of dihydropyridine derivatives termed DHPL. The network of the polymer could be decomposed by the nitrite-induced cleavage of DHPL. Compared to the traditional method, BZK@DHPG can adjust releasing speed according to the concentration of NO2?, the marker of cyanobacteria bloom level, and elongate the releasing time. Furthermore, BZK@DHPG could shift the effective dose of algaecide much ahead of the safety threshold, thus reducing deterioration of water quality caused by the overdose of algaecide.

Automated summary

The frequent occurrence of cyanobacteria blooms has led to serious environmental consequences and economic losses. The traditional method of algae control has limitations, while the new design based on nitrite-responsive hydrogel shows potential to better control the release of algaecide and reduce the risks associated with overdosing.