Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Functional Soft Condensed Matter, Department of Polymeric Material and Engineering, School of Materials and Energy, Guangdong University of Technology, Guangzhou ...

Iron oxides, traditionally seen as phosphorus "sinks," are now recognized as efficient natural catalysts that convert organic phosphorus into its inorganic form, essential for plant growth.

Most phosphorus in the environment is in an organic form that plants cannot directly use, and traditional understanding suggested only enzymes could convert it into the bioavailable inorganic form.