エチレンガスを持続的に放出できる固体材料を開発～農産物の追熟や鮮度保持への応用に期待～

2026-02-17 北海道大学,近畿大学

ゼオライトを用いたC₂H₄固体放出剤の開発と応用

＜関連情報＞

• https://www.hokudai.ac.jp/news/2026/02/post-2191.html
• https://www.hokudai.ac.jp/news/pdf/260217_pr4.pdf
• https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsanm.5c05148

ジャガイモの発芽を抑制するエチレンを緩やかに放出するナノ多孔性材料としての銀イオン担持ゼオライトX Zeolite X Loaded with Ag+ as a Slow Ethylene-Releasing Nanoporous Material to Suppress Potato Sprouting

Yuan Huang,Akira Yamamoto,Ryoichi Otomo,Shin-ichiro Noro,Yuichi Kamiya
ACS Applied Nano Materials  Published: January 15, 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/acsanm.5c05148

Abstract

Nanostructured silver-exchanged zeolites (Ag⁺-exchanged zeolites) have been widely studied for ethylene (C₂H₄) removal from space and for separation from mixtures. However, the controlled release of C₂H₄ from Ag⁺-exchanged zeolites has received little attention. In this study, we propose a novel application of Ag⁺-zeolite X as a slow C₂H₄-releasing nanoporous material to suppress potato sprouting. The adsorption and release behaviors of C₂H₄ over a series of Ag⁺-exchanged zeolites with different zeolite framework topologies and Ag loadings were systematically investigated. The characteristics of the zeolites significantly influenced the nature of the introduced Ag species, which in turn affected the adsorption and release behavior of C₂H₄. In zeolites with high Ag loadings, Ag species tend to aggregate into large Ag clusters or metallic Ag⁰ nanoparticles, which do not work as C₂H₄ binding sites. Among the Ag⁺-exchanged zeolites studied, Ag₃₆-X, which is zeolite X with a silver ion-exchange rate of 36%, showed high C₂H₄ adsorption capacities and sustained C₂H₄ release characteristics. The application of Ag₃₆-X in potato packaging demonstrated superior sprout inhibition performance compared to a commercial C₂H₄ release agent, highlighting the potential of Ag-loaded zeolites as tunable C₂H₄ release nanoporous materials for postharvest applications.