Sustained release/self-cleaning zein-based hybrid microcapsule leather finishing material

In this study, zein, Pluronic F127, artemisia argyis essence, and butyl titanate are used to craft zein-based hybrid microcapsule by interfacial condensation and anti-solvent precipitation approach. Morphology and structure of the hybrid microcapsule were characterized by SEM, UDFM, FTIR, XRD and XPS, separately. Sustained release behavior and self-cleaning performance of the hybrid microcapsule were also observed. The results indicated that the average size of zein-based hybrid microcapsule was approximately 6 mm with stable structure. It is worth noting that, this double-shelled microcapsule possessed sustained release behaviors, only 9% of AAE was released after 9 h. Significantly, the TiO2 in the outer shell endows the composite coating with superior self-cleaning performance. The asprepared hybrid microcapsule finishing material is a good candidate for bio-based functional coatings applied in various fields including leather, paper, painting, cosmetics and so on. (c) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

Automated summary

In this study, a zein-based hybrid microcapsule was successfully fabricated using zein, Pluronic F127, artemisia argyis essence, and butyl titanate. The hybrid microcapsule exhibited stable structure, sustained release behavior, and superior self-cleaning performance due to the presence of TiO2 in the outer shell. It has potential applications as a bio-based functional coating in various fields.