Preparation of Antibacterial Citronella Oil Microcapsules and their Application in Cotton Fabrics

The citronella oil microcapsules were successfully prepared by the complex coacervation method using gelatin and arabic gum as the wall materials, and then the microcapsules were applied to modify cotton fabrics using 2D resin as the cross-linking agent. The microcapsules and the cotton fabrics were characterized by scanning electricity microscopy. The results showed that the citronella oil microcapsules were spherical with an average diameter of 10 µm, and the microcapsules were successfully grafted onto fabrics. In addition, the release and antibacterial test showed that the modified cotton fabrics presented a slow release performance and excellent antibacterial efficacy.