Issued patent
Miniaturized Electrospray System
An issued NASA patent from the Technology Transfer catalog.
About this technology
Overview
Innovators at NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center have developed a miniaturized electrospray system that electrostatically charges and delivers liquids to grounded targets. The technology was developed as an alternative to existing options for in-space aeroponic food production applications. Typically, agricultural electrosprayers are large, high liquid-consumption devices that rely on pressurized gases to forcefully transport charged droplets up to 25 feet away from the nozzle. These existing electrosprayers are not ideal for precision applications in space. To meet this need, a miniaturized electrosprayer was created that requires only a liquid source, a nebulizing nozzle, a metallic ring positioned at the nozzle orifice, and power supply to energize the ring to facilitate droplet charging. Potential applications for the new technology include those where electrospray systems are currently employed like small-scale delivery of antimicrobial coatings (e.g., for COVID-19 disinfection), optical coatings, paint, nutrients, pesticides, water (e.g., for aeroponics), and more.