Periodic Reporting for period 2 - SAMCAPS (Self-Assembled MicroCAPSules: Synthesis, Characterization, and Eco-friendly Application in Home Care Products)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2020-10-01 al 2022-09-30
In this way, SAMCAPS tackles the challenge of the chemical industry, as a response to international undertakings such as the Paris Climate Act and the Europe 2020 policies for smart, sustainable and effective chemical use driving the growth of the industry. Our research program is focused on the training of four Early Stage Researchers for the creation of novel encapsulation systems with an improved environmental footprint. Thanks to the close collaboration of the two leading partners, Procter&Gamble and CSGI, our team can combine the fundamental scientific knowledge from academia with the applied scientific knowledge coming from industry. The project progresses through the synthesis and characterization of different types of stimuli-responsive, environmentally friendly polymers and their use in the protection and controlled delivery of actives. The capsule systems are tested in marketed products such as household goods and cosmetic products, thereby combining the development of new fundamental science with the understanding of the technical needs of a specific technology.
The capsules have been introduced in model formulation media, in order to evaluate not only their stability in these concentrated surfactant solutions, but also the release mechanisms of the encapsulated actives. For example, the capsules obtained by means of coacervations can be easily disrupted to release their perfume payload by dilution, a process that can take place during the normal washing cycle of household washing machines. The release can be tracked using microscopy techniques also completed to microfluidics, and model fluorescent molecules mixed with the actives. The effect of medium composition, such as salt concentration, have been also investigated.
The microcapsules were tested for performance and deposition on various surfaces. At present, studies have been conducted on cotton and polyester fabrics. We observed that perfume molecules were deposited more on the hydrophilic cotton than on the hydrophobic polyester, with a further dependance on the molecular structure of the fragrance. This underlined once again the importance of the fragrant molecule’s nature not only on encapsulation but also on its deposition.