Preparation of oily core polyamide microcapsules via interfacial polycondensation

Microcapsules obtained by interfacial polycondensation from an original system based on the polyaddition of specific di‐ or polyamines and more classical acyl chloride molecules were studied. The originality of the system lies in the fact that the encapsulated agent is the internal phase allowing its incorporation without an organic solvent, which is an advantage from the point of view of environmental protection. Once the optimal parameters of the emulsion were determined, the membrane formation was studied by optimizing the emulsification and reaction times in relation to simultaneous acyl chloride hydrolysis. The microcapsules were obtained by interfacial polycondensation between an excess of amine functions (diamine and diethylenetriamine) and acyl chloride (sebacoyl chloride and 1,3,5‐benzene tricarbonyl trichloride) from an oil‐in‐water emulsion in the presence of 88% hydrolyzed poly(vinyl alcohol) as a surfactant. Various formulations in terms of COCl concentration, crosslinking agent concentration, excess of amine functions, emulsification and reaction times were prepared. The hydrolysis of acyl halide functions is the main parameter which influences the growth of the membrane. The increase in acyl chloride function concentration allows compensation for that lost by hydrolysis, and increases the encapsulation yield to about 90%. The degree of crosslinking of the membrane was controlled in order to minimize the subsequent release of oil by the addition of trifunctional monomers. An optimal formulation was developed offering high encapsulation yield and optimal elastic behaviour. Almost spherical capsules, with a membrane thickness of approximately 500 nm, relatively smooth internal walls and crumpled external walls, were observed by scanning electron microscopy. © 2003 Society of Chemical Industry