Microencapsulation is used across multiple industrial sectors to immobilise fragrances, flavours, and bioactive compounds. It offers numerous advantages, including enhanced stability and prolonged shelf life of the product, which is safeguarded from harsh environments, pH fluctuations and ultra-violet (UV) radiation.
Synthetic materials like polyurethane, polyurea, and polystyrene have emerged as popular choices for microcapsule shells due to their ability to provide a balance of chemical and mechanical resistance. While these materials can offer effective barriers for active ingredients, their non-biodegradability poses concerns regarding environmental sustainability, contributing to the accumulation of microplastics in the environment.
Dr Mohammed Al-Sharabi and professor Alex Routh have been working on an EPSRC project together with Daniele Baiocco and Zhibing Zhang in Birmingham and Ben Lobel and Olivier Cayre at Leeds. They have recently developed a new, eco-friendly approach to fabricate strong, core-shell, sustainable microcapsules, which are engineered with a composite organic-inorganic shell. These microcapsules are spherical, with a relatively smooth surface, and exhibit unique mechanical properties, which are essential to broaden their application in industry.
These new microcapsules hold promise for multiple applications, particularly in fast-moving consumer goods, where maximising the mechanical strength of the capsule is paramount. This includes, but is not limited to, energy storage, household, agrochemical, personal care, and healthcare applications.
You can find more details in a recent article published in Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Research, which is available here.