Microencapsulation

1. A process for making microcapsules, the process comprising:

i) forming a solution of a cross-linker in a liquid;

ii) forming a slurry of a surface-modified particulate inorganic material in a continuous aqueous medium, the surface-modified particulate inorganic material including cross-linkable functional groups; and

iii) dispersing the solution of step i) in the slurry of step ii) and causing or allowing the cross-linker to react with the cross-linkable functional groups of the surface-modified particulate inorganic material so as to form a plurality of discrete microcapsules each including a cross-linked microcapsule wall enclosing a portion of the liquid.

2. A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the liquid is substantially insoluble in water.

3. A process as claimed in claim 2 in which the liquid has a solubility in water at 20° C. of less than 10 g/l.

4. A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the particulate inorganic material comprises an oxy compound of at least one of calcium, magnesium, aluminium or silicon; or a derivative of an oxy compound of at least one of calcium, magnesium, aluminium, or silicon.

5. A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the particulate inorganic material is a mineral selected from kaolin, bentonite, alumina, limestone, bauxite, gypsum, magnesium carbonate, calcium carbonate, perlite, dolomite, diatomite, huntite, magnesite, boehmite, palygorskite, mica, venniculite, hydrotalcite, hectorite, halloysite, gibbsite, kaolinite, montmorillonite, illite, attapulgite, laponite and sepiolite.

6. A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the particulate inorganic material has a median diameter (d 50 ) less than or equal to 10 μm.

7. A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the particulate inorganic material has a particulate size distribution where at least about 90% of the particles by weight are smaller than about 2 μm.

8. A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the particulate inorganic material has a particle size distribution where at least about 90% of the particles by weight are less than about 2 μm, at least about 90% of the particles by weight are less than about 1 μm, and at least about 75% of the particles by weight are less than about 0.25 μm.

9. A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the particulate inorganic material particle surface has been modified so as to have reactive groups by reaction with a chemical of the general structure X—Y—Z, in which X is a chemical moiety with a high affinity for the particle surface; Z is a reactive chemical moiety; and Y is a chemical moiety that links X and Z together.

10. A process as claimed in claim 9 in which X is an alkoxy-silane group.

11. A process as claimed in claim 9 in which Y is a C 2-6 alkylene chain.

12. A process as claimed in claim 9 in which Z is an amine group.

13. A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the cross-linker is a polyisocyanate.

14. A process as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the cross-linker is a first cross-linker, the process further comprising adding a second cross-linker to the dispersion after step iii) such that the second cross-linker modifies the cross-linked microcapsule wall.

15. A process as claimed in claim 1 in which the liquid comprises an active material which is to be encapsulated, wherein the active material is selected from inks, flavours, cosmetics, perfumes, sunscreens, fragrances, adhesives, sealants, phase change materials, biocides, oilfield chemicals, flame retardants, food additives, bleaches, enzymes and surfactants, skin softeners, medically active compounds, fire retardant, flame retardant, antifouling, antibacterial, biocidal, scratch resistant and abrasion resistant compounds, and pharmaceuticals.

16. The process of claim 1 , further comprising classifying the surface-modified particulate inorganic material before step ii), such that the surface-modified particulate inorganic material has a particle size distribution wherein at least 90% of the particles by weight are less than 2 μm in diameter.

17. The process of claim 1 , further comprising drying the microcapsules to form a powder.

18. A process for making microcapsules, the process comprising:

combining a solution comprising a cross-linking molecule dissolved in a liquid with a slurry comprising clay mineral particles to form an aqueous dispersion;

wherein surfaces of the clay mineral particles are chemically modified to include cross-linkable functional groups; and

wherein the cross-linking molecule reacts with the cross-linkable functional groups of the clay mineral particles to form a plurality of microcapsules, each microcapsule encapsulating a portion of the liquid.

19. The process of claim 18 , wherein the liquid comprises at least one of a cosmetic, a perfume, a sunscreen, or a fragrance.

20. A process for making microcapsules, the process comprising:

preparing a liquid comprising a cross-linking molecule and a cosmetic;

combining the liquid with an aqueous slurry comprising surface-modified mineral particles in a continuous aqueous medium, wherein the cross-linking molecule reacts with cross-linkable functional groups of the surface-modified mineral particles to form a plurality of microcapsules, each microcapsule encapsulating a portion of the liquid; and

drying the microcapsules to form a cosmetic powder.