Effect of operation variables and monomers on the properties of polyamide microcapsules

Oil containing microcapsules were prepared by using phthaloyl dichloride as an oil-soluble monomer and diethylene triamine (DETA) as a water-soluble monomer. The diameter of the microcapsules decreased and their distribution became narrower and sharper as the emulsifying time was increased within the initial period of 45 s, beyond which no appreciable changes in the diameter and its distribution were observed. Once DETA was introduced into the aqueous solution to initiate the interfacial polycondensation reaction, reducing the stirring speed diminished the formation of the membrane fragments, but resulted in an increase in the microcapsule diameter. This indicates that the strength of the initial membrane is not strong enough to prevent the microcapsules from coalescing. Raising the volume fraction of the dispersed phase led to a larger diameter and a wider distribution of the microcapsules. When ortho-, meta- or para-phthaloyl dichloride was used as the oil-soluble monomer, both the diameter and the zeta-potential of the microcapsules decreased in the order: ortho-->meta-->para-, indicating that the steric effect of the monomers plays an important role in the microencapsulation process.