N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide-containing microcapsules for bio-cloth finishing.

To obtain long-duration protection from mosquitoes using insect repellent N, N-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET), this compound was incapsulated in situ during the graft copolymerization of butyl acrylate onto chitosan in an aqueous solution. Morphology of microcapsules was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, scanning probe microscopy, and transmission electron microscopy. This morphology supported successful encapsulation of DEET into polymer capsules. The encapsulation ratio of DEET was greater than 33%, as estimated from thermo-gravimetric results. The aqueous emulsions were applied to cotton textiles by spraying. Treated cloth showed high bactericidal activity against Staphylococcus aureus. Mosquito repellency of the bio-cloth was evaluated with Aedes albopictus. The 90% effective dose of emulsions on textiles was compared with that of DEET in ethanol. A time profile showed that the repellency of an optimized emulsion was 100% after eight hours, and partially preserved even after exposure to air for 48 hours.