A novel raspberry-like hierarchical multicompartmental microcapsule for fragrance slow-release and nanoenergy cells killing bacteria

As living standards improve, the demand for slow-release and antibacterial textiles, such as shoes and socks, is increasing. Microencapsulation is a popular method for encapsulating essential oils. However, traditional essential-oil microcapsules face some issues. Their antimicrobial effects are limited by the substances inside, and it is hard to combine long-term antimicrobial properties with flavor-specific encapsulation. To tackle this, a novel raspberry-inspired multicompartmental microcapsule with oil in the core and silver-based biocides in the shell was developed. Mesoporous SiO ₂ nanospheres with nano-Ag were made and used as pickering emulsifiers to keep the essential-oil phase stable. Under acidic conditions, the melamine–formaldehyde monomer was cross-linked to form the microcapsule wall, with the SiO ₂ nanospheres being integrated into it. This innovative structure was endowed with outstanding performance. It was demonstrated by in vitro release studies that the sustained release capabilities were kept consistently elevated even after 20 days. Their antibacterial effectiveness was over 99% against Escherichia coli and Streptococcus aureus , which showed great potential for complex applications.