EFFECT OF PHASE VOLUME RATIO ON SYNTHESIS OF POLYUREA MICROCAPSULES BY INTERFACIAL POLYMERIZATION

Polyurea microcapsules can be reproducibly synthesized by Interfacial Polycondensation (IP) of diamine and diisocyanate monomers. This reaction is very fast therefore the overall process of polyurea synthesis via Interfacial Polymerization, by and large, mass transfer controlled reaction. Interfacial area, in such reactions, is an important parameter in its own right. Interfacial area is one of the important process parameter for IP reactions which is controlled by reaction parameter like phase volume ratio. Therefore, the objective of this experimental work was to study the effect of phase volume ratio and monomer mole ratio on kinetics of polyurea microcapsules synthesized by interfacial polycondensation reaction carried out in an organic solvent cyclohexane.Reaction rate increases with increase in phase volume ratio and monomer mole ratio. Characterization of polyurea was carried out by FTIR, XRD and DSC which demonstrated that semi crystalline polyurea microcapsules with good thermal stability were synthesized.