Fig. 2.

Schematic diagram of temperature-responsive controlled release of nutrients or pesticides AIs enabled by nanocarriers consisting of temperature-sensitive polymers with a lower critical solution temperature (LCST). (a) In this case, the nutrient or pesticide AI is loaded into the network of the polymeric nanocarrier. At a temperature below the LCST, the swollen network hinders the release of nutrient/pesticide AIs; at a temperature above the LCST, the polymer chains collapse, resulting in faster release. (b) In this case, the nutrient or pesticide AI is encapsulated by the temperature-sensitive polymer coating. At a temperature above the LCST, the compactly coated polymers hinder the release of the nutrient/pesticide AI, whereas at a temperature below the LCST, the unfolded polymer chains allow faster release.