Study on the effect of sol-gel parameters on the size and morphology of silica microcapsules containing different organic compounds

Efficient encapsulation of different compounds is an important research area for many industrial sectors such as food, cosmetic, medical and pharmaceutical industries [1]. Often these capsules are made up of organic materials. However, in recent years researchers have been focusing on the synthesis of inorganic capsules, and in particular, silica capsules due to their great chemical resistance, thermal stability, biocompatibility and their non-toxic quality for the environment [2]. In this study silica capsules have been synthesized by combining the sol-gel method with the emulsion process [3] and we have investigated how modifications in the synthesis parameters and even the nature of the encapsulated organic compound have an effect on the morphology, shell characteristics and the size distribution of the microcapsules.