Preparation of lignin-based abscisic acid sustained-release microcapsules and its application in paper-based mulch
Aminated sodium lignosulfonate(ASL)was prepared from amine methylation of sodium lignosulfonate(SL),and surface modified with sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate to obtain ASL/SDBS microspheres,into which the plant growth regulator abscisic acid(ABA)was encapsulated for the preparation of ABA@ASL microcapsules with ASL as wall material and ABA as core material.The functional paper-based mulch was then synthesized using ABA@ASL microcapsules and carnauba emulsion as coating materials through coating technology.The influence of m(SDBS)/m(ASL)on the Zeta potential,microstructure,and composition of ASL/SDBS microspheres was analyzed by nano particle size and Zeta potential analyzer,SEM,TEM and FTIR.The effect of wall core ratio(mass ratio of ASL/SDBS microspheres to ABA,the same below)on drug loading and sustained release of ABA@ASL microcapsules was investigated through determination of drug loading and encapsulation rate,as well as tests for drug sustained release and anti-photolysis properties.The effect of carnauba wax coating amount on the properties of functional paper-based mulch were further evaluated via water vapor transmittance test,water contact angle test,temperature and relative humidity change of simulated soil environment and degradation experiment.The results demonstrated that when the wall core ratio was 1∶1,the drug loading capacity of ABA@ASL microcapsules reached 32%,with an encapsulation efficiency of 58%.The drug release rate was observed to be only 49.3%after a 72-hour period,while the drug retention rate reached to 75.1%upon exposure to ultraviolet irradiation for the same duration.The mulch-3 exhibited optimal performance by applying ABA@ASL microcapsules and carnauba wax emulsion at dosages of 3 g/m2,with a water contact angle of 103°,a dry tensile energy absorption value of 50.98 J/m2,and a wet tensile energy absorption value of 11.84 J/m2.The relative humidity retention rate of soil subsurface 5 cm was higher than 50%after being covered by mulch-3 for 7 d,and the thermal insulation performance of soil subsurface 5 cm was comparable to that of polyethylene mulch.The paper-based mulch underwent significant degradation within a period of 90 d during the soil burial degradation experiment,with no adverse environmental impact observed from the resulting degradation products.