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 μm 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 as-prepared 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.