TUNING MORPHOLOGY OF MAGNETIC NANOPARTICLES-POLYMERIC MICROCAPSULES VIA ALTERING POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL (PEG) MOLECULAR WEIGHT

Abstract

Microcapsules are small particles with a size between 1 and 1000 µm comprising an active agent surrounded by natural or synthetic polymeric membrane materials which found remarkable advantages in engineering application such as environmental, catalysis, biomedical and sensing. One of the key benefits to realize microcapsules potential is through tuning porous structure which enable more active sites for reaction etc. Introduction of polymeric additive as pore former agent such as Polyethylene glycol (PEG) could be attractive option to enhance the diffusion capability of the microcapsules. Thus, this study embarks on the influence of different molecular weight of the PEG in tuning the morphology of the synthesized microcapsules. It is concluded that incorporation of different PEG molecular weight could tailor the morphology and pore structure of the resultant microcapsules.