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Preparation and characterisation of polylactic acid modified polyurethane microcapsules for controlled-release of
Ting Zheng1, Kui Chen1, Wanyu Chen1
1a School of Chemical Engineering , East China University of Science and Technology , Shanghai , China.
Abstract:
Polyurethane modified with polylactic acid microcapsules were fabricated for controlled release of chlorpyrifos (one of the high usage solid phosphorous insecticides) via interfacial polymerisation with diphenylmethane diisocyanate, polyether triol, 1,4-butanediol and polylactic acid as modifier. The structure, morphology and release properties of synthesised microcapsules were characterised by Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analyser, scanning electron microscope, particle size analyser and high-performance liquid chromatography. More benign solvents, namely ethyl acetate and n-butyl acetate were used as replacement for toxic solvents commonly used in the preparation of polyurethane microcapsules, namely xylene. The spherical microcapsules prepared in this study were 1-20 μm in diameter. Fourier transform infra-red spectroscopy indicated that polylactic acid had successfully participated in the interfacial polymerisation of polyurethane. Encapsulation efficiency of microcapsules can amount up to 71.0% w/w with a loading efficiency of 26.2% w/w. The microcapsules exhibited a sustained release period above 60 days. Combining polylactic acid into the soft segment of polyurethane proves to effectively accelerate the release rate.
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