Microencapsulation of 2-methylimidazole Epoxy Curing Agent by Solvent Evaporation Method

In this study, microencapsulated epoxy curing agent was prepared for developing a one component epoxy system. 2-methylimidazole (2-MIm) was used as core material and polycaprolactone (PCL) as polymeric wall material and the solvent evaporation method using water in oil in water (W/O/W) emulsion was used to form microcapsules. The SEM images showed that the microcapsules are perfectly round and smooth and have the average diameter of 2.5 μm. The measuring results of viscosity build-up for epoxy system exhibited longer shelf life for microencapsulated 2-MIm compared to pure one