encapsulation

Ashland’s microencapsulation technologies can  protect active or sensitive ingredients in formulations, and can introduce new functional properties,  or impart appearance attributes, into a wide range of products and sectors.  Ashland’s three core technologies are based on:

  • complex coacervation technology wherein natural gelatin proteins produce core-shell microcapsules (captivates™ hc microcapsules).  Typically from a few microns up to about 2000µ, such microcapsules can be used to encapsulate a range of ingredients including oils,  oil soluble ingredients, butters, and vitamins  among others. Being based on gelatin they are nature derived, and depending on the ‘cargo’, these capsules can be designed to be biodegradable in aquatic (and other) media according to OECD and other test standards. Examples of uses include: hand wash soaps and hand sanitizer formulations. 

  • geniaLab™ jet-cutter technology which is applied to natural polymer hydrogels to produce matrix microbeads (captivates™ gl microcapsules),  through a strategic collaboration with  our partner, geniaLab™. Again a range of ingredients can be encapsulated  including oils, oil solubles, particles, pigments etc. Typical sizes are  250-3000µ  and they can be designed to be biodegradable in aquatic (and other) media according to OECD and other test standards. 

  • In-situ acrylate polymerization which draws upon Ashland’s expertise in polymerization technologies to make highly durable core-shell microcapsules (captivates™ a microcapsules).  Based on crosslinked acrylates such capsules can be designed to be very hard and have high thermal stability and chemical resistance.  As such they are very effective in long term stable encapsulations of a range of volatile or difficult to handle ingredients including fragrances,  oils, solvents and solvent solubilized ingredients, and cleaning agents, among others. Typical capsule sizes are in the range of 2-250 µ. Example applications include  laundry and cleaning products where their stability and chemical resistance properties enable durable encapsulation  in detergent and other formulations. 

In addition to these technologies, new encapsulation technologies, drawing on our unique expertises in polymer syntheses including nature derived polymers, and in biodegradation testing and biodegradable polymer design, are in development for the next generation of sustainable  microcapsules for a range of demanding environmental requirements.

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