Fabrication of electroactive liquid core-TANI shell microcapsules by self-assembly on Pickering emulsion surfaces

•Electroactive microcapsules with rigid shells are successfully prepared.•HAc-doped oligoaniline nanopartices are first served as the Pickering emulsifiers.•The driving force for the assembly of oligoaniline molecules is presented.•The formed robust microcapsules are suited for encapsulating hydrophobic actives.

Electroactive microcapsules with solid oligomeric shell have been successfully prepared during a dialysis process. In this one-pot method, Pickering emulsion template and self-assembly technology are combined. The CV characterization shows the obtained microcapsules exhibit the unique redox electrochemistry for pure tetra(aniline) (TANI). The SEM results reveal that an oil-in-water emulsion stabilized by carboxylic acid doped TANI (HAc-TANI) particles, i.e. Pickering emulsion, forms at the beginning of dialysis. The FT-IR and UV-vis spectra analysis shows that then the assembled particles are locked by the self-assembly of HAc-TANI molecules on Pickering emulsion surfaces via electrostatic interactions and π-π stacking interactions. The obtained air-dried electroactive microcapsules with robust oligomeric shell can retain their integrity. Therefore, they become more suitable for encapsulating hydrophobic functional molecules in industry applications.

Graphical abstractElectroactive microcapsules with solid oligomeric shell have been successfully prepared during a dialysis process by combining self-assembly and Pickering emulsion templates.Download high-res image (343KB)Download full-size image