A Systematic Review on Microencapsulation Technique and its Application

Abstract

Abstract: Micro-encapsulation is the process of encapsulating a compound in a small sphere called a microsphere / microcapsule. The diameter of the microspheres can range from 1 mm up to several hundred micrometers. Many different active materials have been successfully encapsulated in microballoons / microcapsules made from polymeric and non-polymer materials such as poly (ethylene glycol), methacrylate, poly (styrene), cellulose, poly (lactide), gelatine and acacia. The content of the microcapsules is released at the appropriate time using different release mechanisms according to the end use of the encapsulated product. This technology has been used in many industries such as pharmaceuticals, agri-food, printing, cosmetics, textiles and defence. In the defence sector, it has been used to create self-healing composite as well as chemical decontamination fabrics. This review highlights the main reasons for microencapsulation technology, important techniques for the encapsulation of products and applications of the technology in various fields of science and technology.