Soluble Hook-Shaped Microneedles for Leaf Substance Delivery
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for deploying substances into plant leaves, such as foliar spray, root absorption, and trunk injection, suffer from inefficiencies and high costs, particularly due to the plant's barrier tissues and the need for expensive materials like silk fibroin, which hinder effective and timely delivery of active ingredients.
Innovation Solution
A device with abaxial hook-shaped micro-needles made of sugar alcohols, such as isomalt, provides efficient and cost-effective deployment of substances into plant vascular tissue by penetrating and dissolving quickly, with geometric design enhancing anchoring and deployment efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If foliar spray or root absorption methods are used, then implementation is easy, but material loss is significant and delivery efficiency is low due to plant barrier tissues
Solution Approach 1:
The device divides the delivery system into multiple micro-needles (50-200 μm diameter) that collectively penetrate the leaf cuticle and epidermis, distributing the delivery function across many small units rather than relying on a single large structure, enabling effective penetration while maintaining ease of application
Solution Approach 2:
The micro-needles are made of soluble materials (silk fibroin, gelatin, or sugar alcohols) that change their physical state from solid to dissolved upon contact with plant sap, transforming the delivery mechanism from permanent structural penetration to temporary soluble penetration that releases active ingredients as it dissolves
2Productivity
If injection into trunk or petiole feeding is used, then delivery efficiency is greater and large amounts of active ingredients can be provided, but the method is suitable only for large and woody plants and valuable labile active ingredients are not suitable
Solution Approach 1:
The device segments the delivery function across multiple micro-needles distributed over a large surface area of the leaf, enabling the system to handle both small and large plants effectively. The modular micro-needle structure can be applied to any plant size, overcoming the limitation of trunk injection methods that require large woody plants
Solution Approach 2:
The use of soluble materials allows the micro-needles to dissolve and release active ingredients directly into the leaf vascular system, enabling efficient delivery of valuable labile active ingredients that would otherwise be unsuitable for trunk injection methods. The solubility parameter enables controlled release of sensitive compounds
3Reliability
If biodegradable micro-needles made of silk fibroin are used, then deployment into vascular tissue is achieved, but the material is rare, expensive, and requires long and complex extraction methods
Solution Approach 1:
The device replaces expensive silk fibroin with cheaper, more easily manufactured soluble materials such as gelatin or sugar alcohols (isomalt, erythritol, lactitol, maltitol, mannitol, xylitol, sorbitol). These alternative materials are inexpensive, can be produced through simple processes, and provide the same functional characteristics of solubility and biodegradability
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the material parameter from rare silk fibroin to common sugar alcohols, fundamentally altering the manufacturing approach from complex extraction processes to simple synthesis or purification methods. This parameter change maintains the essential solubility function while dramatically reducing manufacturing complexity and cost
4Reliability
If abaxial hook-shaped micro-elements are used, then positioning stability on foliar surface is improved and anchoring reversibility is enabled, but deployment times of active ingredients are not optimized
Solution Approach 1:
The invention merges the hook-shaped anchoring geometry with soluble materials in a single integrated micro-element structure. The hook shape provides mechanical anchoring and positioning stability, while the soluble material property enables rapid dissolution and active ingredient deployment, combining two previously separate functional requirements into one unified component
Solution Approach 2:
The use of soluble materials changes the temporal parameter of the micro-elements from permanent structural anchors to temporary dissolving anchors. This material parameter change enables the hooks to maintain positioning stability during deployment then rapidly dissolve to release active ingredients, optimizing both anchoring reliability and deployment speed
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The device achieves rapid and efficient delivery of active ingredients into plant tissues while reducing material costs and detachment risks, allowing for adjustable deployment times and integration with electronic monitoring components.
Implementation Method 1
The transport material of which the micro-needles are made is a soluble material based on silk fibroin... the anchoring micro-elements are made of a material based on sugar alcohols, advantageously selected from isomalt, erythritol, lactitol, maltitol, mannitol, xylitol and sorbitol or a mixture thereof
Data Source
AI summary
The invention concerns a miniaturised device (10) suitable for deploying substances into the leaves (F) of plants comprising an array of anchoring micro-elements (12) made of a soluble material. The device also comprises sensors (23), so that it is possible to simultaneously deploy substances on both the abaxial and the adaxial side of the leaf (F) and simultaneously monitor the effects thereof.