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Novel microcapsule designs and manufacturing processes

新颖的微胶囊设计和制造工艺

基本信息

批准号：
EP/V027646/1
负责人：
Olivier CAYRE
金额：
$ 50.45万
依托单位：
University of Leeds
依托单位国家：
英国
项目类别：
Research Grant
财政年份：
2021
资助国家：
英国
起止时间：
2021 至无数据
项目状态：
未结题

来源：
https://gtr.ukri.org/projects?ref=EP%2FV027646%2F1
关键词：
Novel microcapsule designs manufacturing processes

项目摘要

This project aims to tackle major industrial challenges, which limit the full uptake of microencapsulation technology in a broad range of areas including paints and coatings, home and personal care, agrochemicals and lubricants to name but a few. Ideal microcapsules are typically core-shell structures, of sizes in the range of micrometres, capable of retaining valuable active ingredients such as pharmaceutical drugs or fragrance oils within their core and releasing them in a controlled manner at a location and rate that is predetermined. In order to design efficient microcapsule systems, it is critical that the properties of both microcapsule core and their protective shell are well controlled and fully optimised for their specific application. This includes for example delivery of enzymes in washing powders, of pesticides for agro-chemicals, of flavours in foods, of biocides in paints/coatings and of antioxidants in cosmetics.Currently, most commercial microcapsules are spherical structures with a shell made from synthetic or bio-sourced polymers. These designs suffer from significant drawbacks, including: a) microcapsule shell porosity is often too high and does not allow for efficient retention of the active ingredients before the intended delivery - this is a significant challenge in medical applications to minimise the side effects from leaching drugs; b) microcapsule deposition and retention on the targeted surface is often too low - this leads to a very large proportion of microcapsules containing perfume oils being washed down the drain in a washing machine cycle, thus potentially causing both water contamination and higher doses needed (i.e. increased product cost); c) polymer shells are often made from synthetic non-recyclable and non-biodegradable materials, which cause environmental pollution when they unintentionally accumulate, a major current environmental safety concern currently being increasing regulated; and d) microcapsules are mostly manufactured from precursor objects in the form of emulsion droplets, which are typically produced using very energy-intensive and wasteful processes.Addressing the important challenges above is key if the large potential of microencapsulation technology is to be harnessed a) for more targeted and more efficient delivery (including the use of much lower dosages and the drastic reduction in side effects) of pesticides in agricultural fields, potent drugs in treating serious diseases for example and b) for developing new solutions in a wide variety of industries, for example via designing new energy storage devices for more efficient home insulation.On this basis, our project will combine the strength of three of the most active UK academic groups and strongly committed key industrial partners to develop solutions to these challenges, including:- Developing a low energy manufacturing process to produce the emulsion droplet precursors to microcapsules;- Designing and testing a range of alternative microcapsule shell inorganic chemistries (i.e. not organic polymers) that improve properties of current systems, including: - More robust and less permeable shells to decrease shell permeability and thus also reduce potential for undesired leaching (and side effects) of the encapsulated active ingredients; - More sustainable and biodegradable shells that do not linger in the locations they accumulate;Producing microcapsules of non-spherical shapes to improve their deposition and retention on the targeted surfaces (through increased surface area of interaction with the surfaces), thus enabling more efficient use and lower dosages of active ingredients to be achieved.The project will fund 3 post-doctoral researchers working on the various aspects discussed above via EPSRC and a combination of the academic institutions and the industrial partners will provide additional funding for 2 PhD students also working on parts of the overall project.

该项目旨在解决主要的工业挑战，这些挑战限制了微胶囊技术在油漆和涂料、家庭和个人护理、农用化学品和润滑剂等广泛领域的全面应用。理想的微胶囊通常是核-壳结构，尺寸在微米范围内，能够在其核心内保留有价值的活性成分，如药物或香精油，并以预定的位置和速率以受控的方式释放它们。为了设计高效的微胶囊系统，至关重要的是，微胶囊核心及其保护壳的性能都得到很好的控制，并针对其特定应用进行充分优化。例如，这包括洗衣粉中的酶、农用化学品中的农药、食品中的香料、油漆/涂料中的杀菌剂和化妆品中的抗氧化剂的输送。目前，大多数商业微胶囊都是球形结构，外壳由合成或生物聚合物制成。这些设计存在明显的缺点，包括：a)微胶囊外壳孔隙度通常太高，不能在预期递送之前有效保留活性成分——这是医疗应用中最大限度地减少药物浸出副作用的重大挑战；B)微胶囊在目标表面的沉积和保留率通常太低——这导致含有香水油的微胶囊在洗衣机循环中被冲下下水道，从而可能造成水污染和更高剂量的需要（即增加产品成本）；C)聚合物外壳通常由合成的不可回收和不可生物降解的材料制成，当它们无意中积累时造成环境污染，这是当前主要的环境安全问题，目前正日益受到监管；d)微胶囊主要是由乳化液液滴形式的前体物体制成的，而乳化液液滴的生产通常使用非常耗能和浪费的工艺。如果要利用微胶囊技术的巨大潜力，解决上述重要挑战至关重要：a)在农业领域更有针对性和更有效地施用农药（包括使用低得多的剂量和大幅减少副作用），例如在治疗严重疾病方面使用强效药物；b)在各种各样的工业中开发新的解决办法；例如，通过设计新的能源存储设备来提高家庭隔热的效率。在此基础上，我们的项目将结合英国三个最活跃的学术团体的力量，并坚定地承诺主要的工业合作伙伴来开发解决这些挑战的解决方案，包括：-开发一种低能耗的制造工艺来生产微胶囊的乳状液滴前体；-设计和测试一系列可替代的微胶囊外壳无机化学物质（即非有机聚合物），以改善当前系统的性能，包括：-更坚固和更低渗透性的外壳，以降低外壳的渗透性，从而也减少了被封装活性成分的不希望的浸出（和副作用）的可能性；-更可持续和可生物降解的贝壳，不会在它们积聚的地方逗留；生产非球形微胶囊，以改善其在目标表面上的沉积和保留（通过增加与表面相互作用的表面积），从而实现更有效的使用和更低的活性成分剂量。该项目将通过EPSRC资助3名从事上述各个方面工作的博士后研究人员，学术机构和工业合作伙伴的联合将为2名从事整体项目部分工作的博士生提供额外资金。