Responsive hybrid microcapsules by the one-step interfacial thiol-ene photopolymerization

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Polymer Chemistry
• Nanotechnology

Background:

• Microcapsule fabrication often involves complex, multi-step processes.
• Developing robust and versatile methods for hybrid microcapsule synthesis is crucial for advanced applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate a general, convenient, and robust method for fabricating hybrid microcapsules (HMCs).
• To characterize the morphology, size, and wall thickness of the synthesized HMCs.
• To investigate the thermoresponsive properties and encapsulation capabilities of the HMCs.

Main Methods:

• One-step thiol-ene photopolymerization at the toluene-water interface.
• Utilized amphiphilic polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxane (POSS) with thiol groups (PTPS) as reactive surfactants.
• Employed trimethylolpropane triacrylate (TMPTA) as a cross-linker.
• Characterization using SEM, TEM, AFM, and CLSM.

Main Results:

• Uniform HMCs with tunable diameters (2-4 μm) and wall thicknesses (55-120 nm) were successfully fabricated.
• HMC size increased with toluene content; wall thickness decreased with toluene but increased with TMPTA.
• HMCs exhibited thermoresponsive behavior in aqueous solutions.
• Demonstrated encapsulation of both hydrophobic and hydrophilic dyes with controlled dispersion.

Conclusions:

• The developed one-step photopolymerization method provides a simple and robust route to hybrid microcapsules.
• The tunable properties and encapsulation abilities of HMCs suggest potential in controlled dispersion and drug delivery systems.