The utilization of interfacial polymerization in the
preparation
of microcapsules with a slow-controlled release has been shown to
effectively improve pesticide efficacy and reduce environmental pollution.
In this study, polyurea microcapsules loaded with lambda-cyhalothrin
were prepared by an interfacial polymerization method using modified
isocyanate (MDI) as the wall material and GT-34 as the initiator.
The microcapsules were fully characterized by optical microscopy,
scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy,
thermogravimetric analysis, etc., and release behaviors were investigated.
The results indicated that the microcapsules had a smooth surface
and uniform distribution, the average particle size of the microcapsules
was 1.97 μm, and the encapsulation efficiency of lambda-cyhalothrin
microcapsules could reach 91.48%. Compared with other commercial formulations,
the microcapsules exhibited an excellent sustained release property
(>7 days) in a 50% acetonitrile aqueous solution (v/v). Subsequently,
in vitro release studies showed that the lambda-cyhalothrin microcapsules
could consistently control the release of the core materials at different
pH, temperature, and MDI addition amount conditions. The release of
lambda-cyhalothrin microcapsules was in accordance with the first-order
model release, which was mainly by the Fickian diffusion mechanism.
Furthermore, the biological activity on Myzus persicae showed that the microcapsules’ persistence period was above
21 days, which was longer than that for the emulsifiable concentrate
formulation.