Microencapsulated colourants for technical textile application

This chapter focuses on describing the range of chemical-based microencapsulation technologies that have been applied widely within the textile industry, concentrating on specific applications within the dyeing and printing sectors. The chapter reviews the commercially available microencapsulation technologies which are designed to deliver novel visual effects during printing as well as examining the future opportunity for microencapsulation technology in improving textile dyeing processes. Technologies discussed include liposomes, in-situ and interfacial polymerisation as well as molecular complexation methods.