Improvement of a microencapsulation with aqueous core by factorial design

Preparation of microcapsules with aqueous core and polyamide walls is influenced by several factors. We improved the stability of walls and size of capsules by simultaneous variation of four factors: total ratio of polymer, ratio of amines to acid chlorides, concentration of surfactant and speed of stirring. Use of factorial design minimizes the number of experiments and permits us to know the influence of these factors and of their interactions. By increasing the ratio of amines to acid chlorides and with a low concentration of total polymer, we obtained more stable capsules. Surfactant had a negative effect on the hardness of the polymer.