Water-Bearing Capsule in situ Prepared from Liquid Marble and Its Performance

Liquid marble was first prepared by encapsulation of water droplet using hydrophobic silicon dioxide particles as the stabilizer of liquid-gas interface. Then the as-prepared liquid marble was packaged using a polymer coating by moisture curing of ethyl α-cyanoacrylate on its surface. A coating of acrylated epoxidized soybean oil was further prepared on the marble surface by photocuring method to finally form a water-bearing capsule. The double-bond conversion of the UV-cured coating was investigated by the real-time FT-IR. The basic properties such as hardness and water resistance were studied. The morphologies of the liquid marble and water-bearing capsule were characterized by digital photography, optical microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The mechanical performance and water retention capacity of the water-bearing capsule were also studied. The results showed that the surface of as-prepared water-bearing capsule was smooth and compact, compared with that of original liquid marble. The poly(ethyl α-cyanoacrylate) coating and UV-cured coating of acrylated epoxidized soybean oil endowed the water-bearing capsule with both excellent water vapor barrier property and mechanical performance, making it a great potential to be applied in cosmetics, pharmacy and cigarette.