Fabrication of sustained‐release and antibacterial citronella oil‐loaded composite microcapsules based on Pickering emulsion templates

In this work, the citronella oil (CTO)-loaded composite microcapsules with hydroxyapatite (HAp)/quaternary ammonium salt of chitosan (HACC)/sodium alginate (SA) shells are facilely and effectively fabricated by templating citronella oil-in-water Pickering emulsions, which are stabilized with HAp nanoparticles. The microcapsule composite shells are prepared by the electrostatic adsorption of HACC and SA, and then chelation interaction of alginate and Ca2+ ions released from HAp nanoparticles. Scanning electronic microscope observation shows that the microcapsules have a spherical shape. Thereafter, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and thermal gravimetric analysis results indicate that CTO is successfully loaded into the microcapsules, and the related CTO-loaded microcapsules possess the thermal stability. Moreover, the in vitro release study of CTO shows that the microcapsules have sustained release activity, and the related CTO release profiles can be well described by Rigter–Peppas model. The antimicrobial assays of microcapsules display the antibacterial effect of CTO-loaded microcapsules against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli. Overall, this study opens up new potentiality for unstable active ingredient as an environmental friendly and ingenious microencapsulation in food and agriculture applications. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2018, 135, 46386.