Science subdues smelly socks — sweet citrus scent solution

Finally.

Portuguese chemical engineers from Porto University led by Alirio Rodrigues have developed lemon-scented microcapsules which, when applied to wool and polyester fabrics, show good performance in terms of prolonged fragrance release and durability.

The scientists point out, in a paper published in the current issue of the journal Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, "... that microcapsules, or microscopic shells, have been used to deliver fragrances in products such as scratch-and-sniff stickers. But these microcapsules are made with formaldehyde, which is toxic," wrote Clive Cookson in a story in today's Financial Times.

He continued, "Instead the Portuguese researchers used polyurethane-urea, a less harmful plastic that is compatible with textiles. Their microcapsules contain limonene, the main component of lemon scent."

Here's the abstract of the scientific paper.

Microencapsulation of Limonene for Textile Application

Polyurethane−urea microcapsules with limonene oil as the active agent were produced by interfacial polymerization, and their suitability for textile applications was studied. Experimental conditions for the textile substrates impregnation were based on industrial requirements and set up at laboratory scale using a mini-foulard. The success of the polymerization reaction leading to the formation of the polyurethane−urea shell was checked by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Particle size distributions and morphology of the microcapsules were studied using a particle size analyzer (Coulter LS230), optical microscopy, and scanning electron microscopy. The effectiveness of the textiles impregnation and the durability of the impregnation effect were evaluated by scanning electron microscopy and by headspace/GC/FID. Under the present research, a product was developed and its performance, in regard to industrial requirements, was successfully tested.

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Really feeling your oats today, eh?

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For you, the article in its entirety, including figures, tables, references, the whole kit and kaboodle — right here.