Supramolecular Microcapsules via Microfluidic Interfacial Host-Guest Assembly: A Novel Strategy for Actives...

The development of intelligent encapsulation systems that ensure both the stability and stimuli-responsive release of sensitive actives remains a critical challenge for personal care and pharmaceutical applications. This work presents a supramolecular strategy to fabricate intelligent microcapsules by integrating droplet microfluidics with host-guest chemistry. Specifically, phenylalanine-functionalized chitosan (CS-Phe) is designed to function as the guest polymer. Within the microfluidic system, positively charged CS-Phe is electrostatically anchored at the water-oil interface and dynamically crosslinked by cucurbit[8]uril (CB[8]), thereby forming monodisperse microcapsules with tunable sizes and shapes. These microcapsules exhibit high encapsulation stability and are dual-responsive to pH variations and competitive guests. This combination of properties establishes the resulting supramolecular microcapsules as a versatile platform for the intelligent encapsulation and on-demand release of active ingredients.