The microencapsulation of essential oils and its application in textile articles allows the aggregation of different functionalities to the substrates, imparting them antimicrobial properties, cosmetic effects, UV protection, application of drugs, among others. Therefore, the coacervation technique allows good results using starch to prepare the microcapsules. The objective of this work was the microencapsulation of Aloe Vera with cornstarch using the simple coacervation technique in cotton nonwoven fabric using butane tetracarboxylic acid (BTCA) as a binding agent. Optical and Scanning electron microscopy were performed to understand the morphology of the microcapsules obtained; thermogravimetry, to the comprehension of the thermal degradation of the microcapsules; mass gain percentage; FTIR was used to prove the interaction between nonwoven and microcapsule and finally, the CIE WI white index. The micrography allowed the observation of granular morphology, predominantly angular. The thermogravimetric curves have shown two significative thermal events: dehydration of the oil and degradation of the starch. The samples presented darker coloration; however, their quality was not compromised by the finishing. For this reason, the characterizations allowed to infer that the simple coacervation using this method is a simple process, with good results for the encapsulation of essential oils.

Osteoarthritis scaffold-based grafts fail because of poor integration with the surrounding soft tissue and inadequate tribological properties. To circumvent this, we propose electrospun poly(ε-caprolactone)/zein-based scaffolds owing to their biomimetic capabilities. The scaffold surfaces were characterized using Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, static water contact angles, and profilometry. Scaffold biocompatibility properties were assessed by measuring protein adsorption (Bicinchoninic Acid Assay), cell spreading (stained F-actin), and metabolic activity (PrestoBlue™ Cell Viability Reagent) of primary bovine chondrocytes. The data show that zein surface segregation in the membranes not only completely changed the hydrophobic behavior of the materials, but also increased the cell yield and metabolic activity on the scaffolds. The surface segregation is verified by the infrared peak at 1658 cm⁻¹, along with the presence and increase in N1 content in the survey XPS. This observation could explain the decrease in the water contact angles from 125° to approximately 60° in zein-comprised materials and the decrease in the protein adsorption of both bovine serum albumin and synovial fluid by half. Surface nano roughness in the PCL/zein samples additionally benefited the radial spreading of bovine chondrocytes. This study showed that co-electrospun PCL/zein scaffolds have promising surface and biocompatibility properties for use in articular-tissue-engineering applications.

Lignocellulosic-biomolecule conjugated systems represent potential eco-friendly materials applicable across various fields, including medicine, environmental sciences, food packaging, and agriculture.