Effects of coated and non-coated ZnO nano particles on cucumber seedlings grown in gel chamber

Zinc oxide-engineered nanoparticles (ZnO ENPs) have received the most attention in recent years. This increasing interest has been directed towards studying the environmental fate and effects of ZnO ENPs on ecological terrestrial species. In this study, ZnO NPs were synthesized by atmospheric pressure solution evaporation method and were coated or uncoated with humic acid (HA). The root uptakes of uncoated and HA-coated ZnO NPs and zinc (Zn) were investigated by gel-grown cucumber. Two ZnO levels (1 and 200 µM) were applied in the form of coated (T₃) and non-coated (T₂) NPs or bulk particles (T₁). The results showed that coating NPs by HA increases zeta potential of NPs and decreases their aggregation size due to the increase in the repulsion forces among the particles. Addition of 1 mgL^?1 ZnO into gel chamber enhanced root and shoot biomass; however, the shoot growth was higher in the presence of NPs compared to its bulk counterpart. Moreover, greater phytotoxicity of ZnO from the source of NPs than bulk particles in shoot was observed. Scanning electron microscopy results showed a clear evidence of the penetration of NPs into root cells.