Agricultural skin grafting

Abstract

A method of forming a material structure from structural units contained within a liquid solution in a spray head is described. The liquid solution includes a solvent and a solute, the solute comprising a plurality of the structural units, the structural units including monomer units, oligomer units, or combinations thereof. The method comprises forming droplets of the liquid solution including the structural units, and spraying the droplets on a substrate, thereby substantially increasing the reactivity of the structural units within the droplets relative to the structural units within the liquid solution in the spray head. The increase in reactivity can result from the droplets containing an excess of a particular ion, the ion excess resulting from a voltage applied to conductive walls of the device which dispenses the droplets. The material structure is then formed on the substrate from the more highly reactive structural units within the droplets.

1 . An assembly for forming a material structure on a surface of a substrate, comprising:
 a spray head, wherein the spray head comprises a reservoir and a dispensing device; and   a liquid contained within the reservoir, the liquid comprising structural units in a solvent;   wherein the spray head is configured to cause droplets of the liquid to be formed and sprayed on the substrate, whereby the reactivity of the structural units within the droplets is greater than the reactivity of the structural units within the liquid in the reservoir, thereby enabling the structural units within the droplets to covalently bond with one another or with the substrate at a higher rate than before the increase in the reactivity in order to form the material structure on the surface of the substrate.   
     
     
         2 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the structural units are formulated such that the material structure is formed as a coating. 
     
     
         3 . The assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the structural units are formulated such that the coating is an edible coating. 
     
     
         4 . The assembly of  claim 2 , wherein the structural units are formulated such that the coating prevents or suppresses water loss or uptake by the substrate, volatile loss or uptake by the substrate, oxidation via reaction with oxygen gas that can diffuse into the substrate, or surface abrasion. 
     
     
         5 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the dispensing device is electrically connected to a first terminal of a voltage supply, and voltage provided by the voltage supply causes a surface of the liquid adjacent to the dispensing device to have a net electrical charge. 
     
     
         6 . The assembly of  claim 5 , wherein the spray head further comprises an annular electrode, and wherein a second terminal of the voltage supply is electrically connected to the annular electrode. 
     
     
         7 . The assembly of  claim 5 , wherein the spray head is configured such that the droplets are formed from liquid at the surface adjacent to the dispensing device, causing the droplets to have a net electrical charge. 
     
     
         8 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the structural units comprise monomers, oligomers, or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         9 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the structural units comprise fatty acids. 
     
     
         10 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the structural units comprise fatty acids containing an additional chemical constituent, the additional chemical constituent selected from the group consisting of an epoxide, a hydroxyl, and glycerol. 
     
     
         11 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the solvent comprises water, methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, acetone, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         12 . The assembly of  claim 1 , wherein the substrate is a plant, a fruit, a vegetable, a seed, a nut, produce, beef, poultry, or seafood. 
     
     
         13 . An assembly for forming a coating on a substrate, comprising:
 a spray head, wherein the spray head comprises a reservoir and a dispensing device; and   a liquid contained within the reservoir, the liquid comprising structural units in a solvent;   wherein the spray head is configured to cause droplets of the liquid to be formed and sprayed on the substrate, wherein the liquid contained within the droplets is in a state which is further from equilibrium than a state of the liquid contained within the reservoir, thereby allowing the structural units in the droplets to form the coating by forming covalent bonds to one another or to the surface of the substrate.   
     
     
         14 . The assembly of  claim 13 , wherein the coating is an edible coating. 
     
     
         15 . The assembly of  claim 13 , wherein the coating prevents or suppresses water loss or uptake by the substrate, volatile loss or uptake by the substrate, oxidation via reaction with oxygen gas that can diffuse into the substrate, or surface abrasion. 
     
     
         16 . The assembly of  claim 13 , wherein the dispensing device is electrically connected to a first terminal of a voltage supply, and voltage provided by the voltage supply causes a surface of the liquid adjacent to the dispensing device to have a net electrical charge. 
     
     
         17 . The assembly of  claim 16 , wherein the spray head further comprises an annular electrode, and wherein a second terminal of the voltage supply is electrically connected to the annular electrode. 
     
     
         18 . The assembly of  claim 16 , wherein the spray head is configured such that the droplets are formed from liquid at the surface adjacent to the dispensing device, causing the droplets to have a net electrical charge. 
     
     
         19 . The assembly of  claim 13 , wherein the structural units comprise monomers, oligomers, or combinations thereof. 
     
     
         20 . The assembly of  claim 13 , wherein the structural units comprise fatty acids. 
     
     
         21 . The assembly of  claim 13 , wherein the structural units comprise fatty acids containing an additional chemical constituent, the additional chemical constituent selected from the group consisting of an epoxide, a hydroxyl, and glycerol. 
     
     
         22 . The assembly of  claim 13 , wherein the solvent comprises water, methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, acetone, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
         23 . The assembly of  claim 13 , wherein the substrate is a plant, a fruit, a vegetable, a seed, a nut, produce, beef, poultry, or seafood.