Shell Thickness Control of Nanoparticle/Polymer Assembled Microcapsules

Organic/inorganic composite microcapsules can be produced in water through a two-step charge-driven assembly of polyallylamine, citrate anions, and 13 nm silica nanoparticles. The shell is composed of nanoparticles intermixed with polymer, and is thick enough (100s of nm) to provide structural stability before or after drying. Controlling shell thickness, however, is currently difficult to perform. Presented here is a new method in which the shell wall can be thickened by contacting the as-synthesized capsules with silicic acid. This shell thickening was observed and quantified for a moderately broad, unimodal size distribution of capsular particles, through a combination of transmission electron and confocal fluorescence microscopies. Thermogravimetric analysis confirmed the deposition of additional silica, and Coulter counter measurements showed the mean capsule diameter of similar to 4.5 +/- 2.2 mu m changed negligibly with silicic acid treatment. The shell-thickening process occurred in an inward direction, in which the nanosized silicic acid oligomers most likely diffused through the permeable capsule wall and deposited within the wall and on the inner shell wall surface. Adjustable shell wall thicknesses in hybrid microcapsules provide enhanced capability for chemical encapsulation, storage, and release applications.