Challenges in predicting and controlling particle morphology in latices of commercial complexity

Independent, quantitative models for free energy associated with crosslinked seed latices, and monomer and surfactant at the polymer/water interface have been integrated into a predictive model for latex particle morphology. It has been found that very low levels of crosslinking are predicted to influence the particle morphology in a dramatic fashion. Free energy calculation also highlight the often critical role played by surfactant. Highly active surfactants tend to equalize the two polymer/water interfacial tensions and allow the polymer/water interfacial energy to significantly influence the particle morphology.     

Effects of protective colloids on the preparation of poly(l-lactide)/poly(butylene succinate) microcapsules

Poly(l-lactide)/poly(butylene succinate) microcapsules containing an aqueous solution of sodium(+)-tartrate dihydrate were prepared by the interfacial precipitation method through solvent evaporation from (w/o)/w emulsion. The effects of poly(vinyl alcohol) used as a protective colloid in the microencapsulation were investigated regarding thermal properties, particle size distributions, surface morphologies, and release behaviors of the biodegradable microcapsules. It was concluded that encapsulation efficiency, surface morphologies, thermal properties, and releasing speed were closely related to the particle size distributions of microcapsules under different conditions of the protective colloid.     

Preparation of biodegradable microcapsules through an organic solvent‐free interfacial polymerization method

We prepared microcapsules through an organic solvent‐free interfacial polymerization method, which avoids the release of volatile organic compounds arising from conventional interfacial polymerization methods for microencapsulation. These microcapsules have single and narrow particle size distribution and are spherical pellets with smooth and intact shell, and own excellent biodegradability. Additionally, these biodegradable microcapsules have a higher encapsulation efficiency compared with the microcapsules prepared through conventional interfacial polymerization method and possess sustained and controlled release of core materials.     

Process regulation for encapsulating pure polyamine via integrating microfluidic T-junction and interfacial polymerization

The quality of microcapsules directly determines the performance of microcapsule-based functional materials, such as self-healing materials. How to achieve high-quality microcapsules depends on not only the selected microencapsulation technique but also the process regulation. Herein, using tetraethylenepentamine (TEPA) as the core target to be encapsulated by a novel microencapsulation technique through integrating microfluidic T-junction and interfacial polymerization, this investigation studied how the process parameters influence the microencapsulation process and the quality of the synthesized microcapsules regarding the size, morphology, shell structure, and composition. The studied parameters include the solvent type and surfactant concentration in the co-flow solution, the fed volume of the co-flow solution, the types of the solvent, catalyst, and shell-forming monomer in the reaction solution for the shell-growth stage, and the reaction temperature at the shell-growth stage. The influence mechanisms were established based on the observations, and the optimized parameter combination for the process was achieved. Through the parametric study for the microencapsulation technique, this study also lays a solid foundation for the technique to fabricate microcapsules containing other functional substances with high quality.     

Effect of oxygen plasma treatment on the release behaviors of poly(epsilon-caprolactone) microcapsules containing tocopherol

The biodegradable poly(epsilon-caprolactone) microcapsules (PCL) containing tocopherol (TC) were prepared by emulsion solvent evaporation method, and microcapsules were treated by oxygen plasma to enhance the hydrophilic microcapsules. The morphologies and thermal properties of the microcapsules were determined by SEM and DSC measurements. The microcapsules studied were characterized by surface free energy or work of adhesion through contact angle measurement. As a result, the features of the microcapsules could be adjusted by manufacturing condition, such as surfactant and core ratio. The surface free energy or work of adhesion of the microcapsules was increased with increasing the time of plasma treatment, which could be attributed to the increased hydrophilic groups during oxygen plasma treatment. The release profile of the microcapsules was determined by UV-vis spectroscopy and the microcapsules containing tocopherol showed the rapid release rate, as compared with untreated ones.     

聚氨酯/聚丙烯酸酯复合乳液粒子热力学平衡形态预测

以水性聚氨酯分散液为种子采用无皂乳液聚合新技术合成出了具有核壳结构的聚氨酯/聚丙烯酸酯（PU/PA）复合聚合物乳液。采用界面张力简化计算方法计算了聚合物与聚合物之间以及聚合物和水之间的界面张力,通过界面自由能变化最小的热力学判据对合成的复合乳液粒子的热力学平衡形态进行了预测。并利用透射电子显微镜观察和用接触角法测定的膜的表面极性对其进行了证实。结果表明：界面自由能变化的最小判据可以推广到PU/PA 体系,本文给出的界面张力的简化计算方法是可行的。     

Study of types and mixture ratio of organic solvent used to dissolve polymers for preparation of drug-containing PLGA microspheres

The effects of the types and the ratios of various organic solvents used as a mixtures to dissolve poly (lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) by using a solvent evaporation method, a technique used to prepare polymer particles, were carefully studied in order to investigate their advantages in developing drug delivery system (DDS) formulations for the prepared microspheres. The particle size and drug loading efficiency of drug-containing PLGA microspheres were found to be dependent on the types of solvent used due to the interfacial tension between the organic solvent and water phase. The drug loading efficiency of monodisperse microspheres prepared by using a membrane emulsification technique employing organic solvents and high interfacial tension for dissolving the PLGA was increased in a controlled manner. The organic solvents with high interfacial tension in the water phase used for the preparation of polymer particles by means of the solvent evaporation method were found to be suitable in terms of improvement in the properties of DDS formulations.     

新型微胶囊负载环多胺锰配合物的催化氧化性能

采用乳化溶剂蒸发的方法制备了负载型催化剂环多胺锰/乙基纤维素微胶囊(MnAcL-EC), 并确认了MnAcL在微胶囊内负载后结构的完整性, 对其进行了形貌结构表征, MnAcL-EC微胶囊负载型催化剂内部呈特殊的多芯结构. 该催化剂在活性蓝(C.I. Reactive Blue 49)的氧化反应中表现出了优异的催化性能. 催化反应后微胶囊粒径增大, 球体表面孔道增多; 元素分析结果显示, 微胶囊内负载的MnAcL在催化反应后几乎没有减少, 表明负载后的MnAcL是在微胶囊内部催化了外界底物分子的氧化反应. 所制备的MnAcL-EC微胶囊具备很好的循环利用性, 可以有效减少催化活性组分的流失, 方便回收利用.     

Wettability of tri-block copolymer coated hydrophobic surfaces Predictions and measurements

Hydrophobic surfaces with adsorbed tri-block copolymers are wetted by oil in spite of the hydrophilic buoy groups of the block copolymer that are present near the surface. The effect of the buoy group length of the adsorbed molecules on the wettability of hydrophobic surfaces is studied by contact angle measurements and by computer modelling.

The computer model predicts an increase in interfacial free energy with increasing buoy group length for equilibrium adsorption of block copolymer from water. Molecules with large buoy groups occupy more lateral space; therefore the “bare” surface gets more exposed and the anchor groups contribute less to the interfacial free energy which thus increases with the buoy group length.

The calculations showed that the variation of the interaction parameter between solvent and buoy group hardly influences the interfacial free energy. In contrast the interaction parameter between solvent and surface influences the interfacial free energy to a large extent because the oil/surface interactions have a lower energetic value as compared to water/surface interactions and therefore the interfacial free energy is lower than in water. The interfacial free energy varies slightly with increasing buoy group length, depending on the value chosen for the solvent/surface interaction parameter.

Advancing and receding contact angles of hexadecane, sunflower oil and hydrolysate (partly hydrolysed sunflower oil) were measured on hydrophobic surfaces. All oil/water contact angles were small, indicating a hydrophobic apolar surface character. It was found that, for oils with a “good” interaction with the surface (hexadecane and sunflower oil), the contact angle has a minimum value at a certain buoy group length. For hydrolysate (less-strong interaction with the surface) the contact angle decreases monotonically with increasing buoy group length. The results for hexadecane, sunflower oil and hydrolysate are in reasonable agreement with the model predictions. The effect of increasing buoy group length is weak; both decreasing and increasing angles are found, depending on the type of oil used.     

Synthesis of polymer–inorganic patchy microcapsules with tunable patches

We introduce a facile and versatile approach for the formation of ball-like polymer–inorganic patchy microcapsules with a tunable shell by combining sol–gel chemistry of silica precursor and phase separation between the polymer and the precursor. Firstly, chloroform-in-water emulsion droplets containing poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), silica precursor [tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS)] and co-surfactant sodium dioctyl sulfosuccinate (Aerosol OT or AOT) were prepared by shaking the mixture by hand. Due to the added AOT, water molecules diffuse into the chloroform droplets, and the tiny water droplets would coalesce gradually, triggering the formation of double emulsion droplets. Upon further solvent evaporation, the concentration of the polymer and the silica precursor in the oil shell of the double emulsions increases, leading to the phase separation between the polymer and the precursors (and partially formed silica through the hydrolysis and condensation of TEOS). Because of the confined geometry of the oil shell in the double emulsions, polymeric disc-like structures, stabilized by AOT, were dispersed in the silica precursors. Meanwhile, the silica precursor hydrolyzed and condensed when brought in contact with the aqueous solution, ultimately leading to the formation of a mineralized shell around the polymer domains and the hybrid patchy microcapsules. Effect of synthesis conditions, such as the amount of TEOS, AOT, and PMMA used, the pH value, and solvent evaporation rate on interfacial behavior of the solvent/water; and the morphology of the patchy microcapsules were investigated. Patchy microcapsules with tunable patch size and shape can be generated through tailoring the experimental parameters. Our study indicates that the hybrid patchy microcapsules can be formed by taking advantage of the sol–gel chemistry and the phase separation process, and the underlying generality of the synthesis procedure allows for a variety of applications, including drug storage, coatings, delivery, catalysis, and smart building blocks in self-assembling systems.     

Towards a modellisation of the solvation energy in multi-component solvents. The interesting case of a charged solute imbedded in a polymer-containing electrolyte solution

In this paper we propose a mean-field theory to calculate the solvation free energy of a charged solute imbedded in a complex multi-component solvent. We considered a solvent made up of a mixture of small (electrolyte solution) and large (polymer) components. The presence of macromolecules ensures reduced mixing entropy among the different solvent components, an effect due to polymer connectivity. The reduced entropy favours strong preferential distribution of a particular solvent even in the presence of weak preferential solute–solvent interactions. In addition, two energy terms must be considered: (a) the interaction between the solute electrostatic potential and the electrolyte solution and (b) the formation of a polymer–solute interface. Because of the different dielectric permittivity of the solvent components, the electrolyte and polymer distribution functions are strongly coupled: ions, indeed, are more solvated in regions of higher local dielectric permittivity arising from the inhomogeneous mixing of solvent and polymer. We combined together the different energy terms in the framework of the de Gennes free energy functional for polymer solutions along with a generalised Poisson–Boltzmann equation developed for inhomogeneous dielectric media. Moreover, the preferential electrolyte solvation in regions of greater polarity was considered by an extension of the Born equation. Setting the polymer dielectric permittivity smaller than the solvent one and making null the specific polymer–solute interactions, we calculated enhanced electrolyte concentration and reduced polymer concentration near the solute surface on raising the solute surface charge density. The theory shows also the breakdown of the widely used separation between electrostatic and surface tension-dependent contributions to solvation energy when non-ideal mixed solvents are considered. In fact, according to the model, the surface tension of such mixed solvents strongly depends on the solute surface charge density: at high potentials the interfacial tension may increase rather than decrease on raising the polymer volume fraction. The theoretical results have been compared with experimental data on polymer+electrolyte solution surface tension and with solubility data of colloidal particles. The comparison evidences the complex behaviour of multi-component solvents going well beyond the trivial weighted average of the dielectric permittivity and surface tension of the isolated chemical components. Deviations from the simple behaviour predicted by an average picture of multi-component solvents could be understood by developing more sophisticated, but still simple, approaches like that proposed in this paper.Contribution to the Jacopo Tomasi Honorary Issue. This paper is dedicated to Jacopo Tomasi. I learned much of the difficult art of transforming complex problems into simple models after reading his early works on solvation energy.     

热敏显色微胶囊的制备与表征

热敏显色微胶囊是用于传真、条形码系统、医用图像、各种打印等领域的重要材料,它是一种内部含有染料隐色体的球形胶囊。染料隐色体是一种内酯结构的无色染料,在一定条件下,与显色剂发生显色反应。由于染料隐色体的化学惰性不够理想,易受外界因素的干扰,因而在应用中受到一定限制,所以为了克服其存在的不足,常将其微胶囊化。微胶囊的芯壁结构可以将芯材与外界隔离,提高芯材的稳定性,同时保留芯材原有的化学性质。当环境温度在微胶囊的玻璃化温度以上时,由于形成微胶囊壁的物质透过性显著增加,因此显色成分接触而发生显色反应。本文利用界面聚合法,以聚乙烯醇为保护胶体,曲拉通X-100为表面活性剂,聚氨酯为壁材,染料隐色体为芯材,合成了聚氨酯热敏显色微胶囊。研究了三个主要因素对微胶囊的粒径及其分布、表面形貌和热敏显色性能的影响。结果表明,增大保护胶体浓度,提高乳化速度,增加乳化剂用量,微胶囊的平均粒径变小,粒径分布变窄,表面变得光滑而且致密,具有较高的热敏显色密度。利用红外光谱仪确认了微胶囊的结构,在最优条件下,所制备的微胶囊玻璃化温度为131 ℃,并具有良好的热稳定性。     

Large-scale and narrow dispersed latex formation in batch emulsion polymerization of styrene in methanol–water solution

This work is an extension of previous research results reported by our team (Colloid Polym Sci 291:2385–2389, 2013), where monodisperse, large-scale, and high-solid-content latexes of poly(n-butyl acrylate) were obtained with the particle coagulation method induced by the electrolyte. However, large-scale polystyrene latex particle is difficult to synthesize with this approach; moreover, demulsification phenomena easily take place especially in high solid content. In this article, a new approach to prepare large-scale polystyrene latex particle was proposed. Methanol was added to aqueous phases to decrease the interfacial tension between the polymer particle surface and continual phases, further decreasing interfacial free energy. Consequently, the surfactant molecules would loosely pack on the polymer particle surface, which is favored by particle coagulation. Experimental investigations showed that the final polystyrene particle scale only reaches to 93.5 nm when the methanol/water ratio is equal to 0:100, but the particle size attains 270 nm when the methanol/water ratio is equal to 30:70. These results indicated that polystyrene particle coagulation can be induced by methanol by varying the surfactant molecule adsorption on the particle surface. This investigation also provided a new simple approach to prepare large-scale, stable latex particles.     

Effect of acid-base interaction between silica and fragrant oil in the PCL/PEG microcapsules

In this work, the biodegradable poly(epsilon-caprolactone) (PCL)/poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) microcapsules were prepared in the presence of SiO(2) and fragrant oil using emulsion solvent evaporation method. And SiO(2) was chemically treated in 30 wt.% hydrochloric acid and sodium hydroxide. The effect of chemical treatment on SiO(2) surfaces was studied in terms of pH, acid-base value, and N(2)/77 K gas adsorption. Image analyzer and scanning electron microscope (SEM) were used to observe the shape and surface change of the prepared microcapsules. And the variation of surface free energy of microcapsules was characterized by contact angles. The results showed that the average diameter, surface free energy, and fragrant oil release rate of microcapsules were increased with increasing the PEG ratio. Also, it was found that in the case of basic treated SiO(2), the fragrant oil adsorption capacity and release rate were decreased due to the decrease of specific surface area or the increase of acid-base interactions between basic SiO(2) and acidic fragrant oil.     

Porous structures of polymer films prepared by spin coating with mixed solvents under humid condition

We investigate the effects of interfacial energy between water and solvent as well as polymer concentration on the formation of porous structures of polymer films prepared by spin coating of cellulose acetate butyrate (CAB) in mixed solvent of tetrahydrofuran (THF) and chloroform under humid condition. The interfacial energy between water and the solvent was gradually changed by the addition of chloroform to the solvent. At a high polymer concentration (0.15 g/cm3 in THF), porous structures were limited only at the top surfaces of CAB films, regardless of interfacial energies, due to the high viscosity of the solution. At a medium concentration (approximately 0.08 g/cm3 in THF), CAB film had relatively uniform pores at the top surface and very small pores inside the film because of the mixing of the water droplets with THF solution. When chloroform was added to THF, pores at the inner CAB film had a comparable size with those at the top surface because of the reduced degree of the mixing between the water droplets and the mixed solvent. A further decrease in polymer concentration (0.05 g/cm3 in THF) caused the final films to have a two-layer porous structure, and the size of pores at each layer was almost the same.     

Probing the surface of polymer colloids by conductometric surfactant titration

This work revisits the use of surfactant titrations for the characterization of latex particle surfaces. Experiments were performed to study the effect of comonomer composition and the effect of acid comonomers, and the technique is applied to the characterization of particle morphology in composite latices for several different systems. It is confirmed that the packing density of surfactant on a polymer surface is a linear function of copolymer composition. Inclusion of acid comonomers has the expected effect of decreasing the amount of surfactant adsorbed on the polymer surfaces. The usefulness of the technique in the determination of particle morphology is demonstrated, in particular toward the detection of thin layers of either seed or second-stage polymer on the particle surface which are not easily detected by other techniques such as transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Finally, it is shown that the use of acid comonomers in composite particles greatly reduces the usefulness of the surfactant titration technique for morphology characterization. A possible explanation for this effect is proposed.     

硬脂酸丁酯微胶囊的制备与表征

采用原位聚合法用脲醛树脂包覆硬脂酸丁酯,制得相变储热微胶囊.利用激光粒径分布仪、扫描电镜、差示扫描量热仪(DSC)和傅立叶转换红外光谱仪分别研究了微胶囊的粒径分布、表面形态、热性能和壳结构.结果表明,所得微胶囊粒径分布均匀,表面光洁,具有良好的韧性和致密性.不同的制备工艺对微胶囊粒径分布有一定的影响,其中在28 000 r/m in下乳化5 m in时,所得微胶囊的粒径分布集中在1~4μm.DSC测定结果显示硬脂酸丁酯微胶囊的最大相变焓为68 J/g.     

Study of the interfacial polycondensation of isocyanate in the preparation of benzalkonium chloride loaded microcapsules

The preparation of benzalkonium chloride loaded microcapsules was performed by interfacial polycondensation of isocyanates. The present study was made in order to clarify parameters affecting microcapsule wall formation during the course of polymerization. The results presented here show that many interrelated parameters are involved during the microcapsule formation. Each individual component introduced in the preparation was shown to have an effect either on the morphology of the microcapsules or on the mechanical resistance. Benzalkonium chloride seemed to interact mainly in the interfacial polymer precipitation step through a salt effect, or influence the polycondensation reaction rate acting as a catalyst. A contribution of the hydroxylic functions of the surfactant in the polycondensation reaction of the isocyanate was also highlighted. Finally, the organic phase composition was found to be able to modulate the reactivity of hydroxylic functions of the surfactant, leading to very slow reactions in pure xylene. These effects were related to the characteristics of the microcapsules obtained according to different compositions of the formulation system.     

Fabrication strategy for amphiphilic microcapsules with narrow size distribution by premix membrane emulsification

Amphiphilic co-polymer, which can maintain the stability of proteins and increase the protein loading efficiency, is considered as an exploring-worthy biodegrade polymer for drug delivery. However, amphiphilic microcapsules prepared by conventional methods, such like mechanical stirring and spray-drying methods, exhibit broad size distributions due to its hydrophilic sequences, leading to poor reproducibility. In this study, we employed poly(monomethoxypoly ethylene glycol-co-D,L-lactide) (mPEG-PLA, PELA), one of common amphiphilic polymers, as model to focus on investigating the process parameters and mechanisms to prepare PELA microcapsules with narrow size distribution and regular sphericity by combining premix membrane emulsification and double emulsion technique. The coarse double emulsion with broad size distribution was repeatedly pressed through Shirasu Porous Glass (SPG) membrane with relatively high pressure to form the fine emulsion with narrow size distribution. Then, the microcapsules with narrow size distribution can be obtained by solvent extraction method. It was found that it was more difficult to obtain PELA microcapsules with narrow size distribution and smooth surface due to its amphiphilic property, compared with the cases of PLA and PLGA. The smooth surface morphology was found to be related to several factors including internal water phase with less volume, slower stirring rate during solidification and using ethyl acetate as oil phase. It was also found that mass ratio of hydrophilic mPEG, stabilizer PVA concentration in external water phase and transmembrane pressure played important role on the distribution of microcapsules size. The suitable preparation conditions were determined as follows: for the membrane with pore size of 2.8 μm, the mass ratio of PLA/mPEG was 19:1, volume ratio of W(1)/O was 1:10 and O/W(2) was 1:5, PVA concentration (w/v) was 1.0%, magnetic stirring rate during solidification was 60 rpm and 300 kPa was chosen as transmembrane pressure. There was a linear relationship between the diameter of microcapsules and the pore size of the membranes. Finally, by manipulating the process parameters, PELA microcapsules with narrow size distributions (coefficient of variation was less than 15%), smooth morphology and various sizes, were obtained. Most importantly, the key factors affecting fabrication have been revealed and mechanisms were illustrated in detail, which would shed light on the research of amphiphilic polymer formulation.     

Wetting Properties of Barium Sodium Niobate Filled Polystyrene Nanocomposite

Nano crystalline powders of Barium Sodium Niobate (BNN) with the composition (Ba₃ Na₄Nb₁₀ O₃₀) have been prepared by conventional ceramic technique. XRD and SEM studies revealed that its particle size is in the nanometer range. Composites were prepared by mixing powders of BNN with polystyrene at different volume fractions of the material. Melt mixing technique was carried out in brabender plasticoder at a rotor speed of 60 rpm for composite preparation. Surface energy characteristics of the composites are measured using contact angle measurements of the composites with water and methlene iodide. The solid surface free energy is calculated from harmonic mean equations. The results are quantitatively analyzed with Girifalco-Good empirical model and provide unique insight into its properties. Various wettability parameters such as total solid surface free energy, work of adhesion, interfacial free energy and spreading coefficient are analyzed. The different parameters are calculated from the harmonic mean equation. The work of adhesion and interfacial free energy, spreading coefficient, and Girifalco-Good's interaction parameter had changed with composition. The surface properties can be controlled for a given polymer-surface pair by controlling the chemical structure, composition etc.