Encapsulation is a focus area to SINTEF. Typical compounds for encapsulation include flavors, fragrances, enzymes, bacteria, biocides, catalysts, drugs, monomers, nutrients, colors etc. For numerous applications, there is a need for encapsulation and (controlled) release of active substances, owing to e.g. the need for protection of sensitive substances, poor solubility of the active compound(s), or a release profile suited to the lifetime of the material. A wide variety of core materials can be encapsulated, and given the encapsulation benefits and the versatility of the methods, there are almost limitless applications for nano- and microencapsulated materials. In each case, the encapsulation/release system must be scientifically developed and tailor made to suit the requirements through research efforts.
SINTEF will extend our encapsulation competence by adding new technologies like solvent evaporation, simple and complex coacervation, spray drying encapsulation to our existing tool box of encapsulation techniques for polymer and hybrid materials.
Some examples of capsules that are developed as demonstrators in the project includes
- Capsules containing enzymes
- Capsules containing fish oil
- Capsules containing proteins
The project is an internally funded strategic project (SIP). Main contributor is the research group of Polymer Particles and Surface Chemistry.