Preparation of polyacrylate/paraffin microcapsules and its application in prolonged release of fragrance

The purpose of the present work was to develop a fragrance encapsulation system using polyacrylate/paraffin microcapsules. The Polyacrylate/paraffin microcapsules were fabricated by the method of suspension polymerization in Pickering emulsion. Morphology, size distribution, and thermal resistance of polyacrylate/paraffin microcapsules were investigated by scanning electron microscopy, light scattering particle size analyzer, and thermogravimetric analyzer. Results indicated that the crosslinked PMMA/paraffin microcapsules and P(MMA-co-BMA)/paraffin microcapsules prepared under optimal conditions presented regular spherical shape and similar size distribution. The crosslinked P(MMA-co-BMA)/paraffin microcapsules exhibited better thermal stability, with a thermal resistance temperature up to 184 °C. Fragrance microcapsules were prepared by encapsulating fragrance into crosslinked P(MMA-co-BMA)/paraffin microcapsules. The prolonged release performance of fragrance microcapsules was measured by ultraviolet-visible near-infrared spectrophotometer. 63.9% fragrance was retained after exposing fragrance microcapsules in air for 3 months, and the fragrance continued to release over 96 h in surfactant solution (sodium lauryl sulfonate, 20 wt %).