Development of insect repellent textiles via treating with microcapsulescontaining Citrus aurantium L. peel essential oil

This study aimed to extract Citrus aurantium L. (bitter orange) peel essential oil (CPEO) and test its repellent effect against Culex mosquitoes by incorporating it into textiles in the form of microcapsules. CPEO was obtained from dried citrus peel using the hydrodistillation method with the Clevenger apparatus. Microcapsules containing the essential oil were formed using the complex coacervation method. The volatile compounds of the microcapsules containing CPEO were characterized by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Microcapsules with a spherical and uniform shape, as well as appropriate diameter distributions, were observed in optical microscope images and then applied to textiles. The cotton, polyester, and acrylic fabrics were treated with microcapsules using an exhausting method. Scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive X-ray analysis (SEM-EDX) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectrophotometry analysis were conducted to characterize the fabrics. Finally, an excito chamber test unit was fabricated to evaluate the insect-repellent effects of fabrics against Culex mosquitoes. This study revealed that the fabrics functionalized with CPEO microcapsules exhibit significant repellent effects against Culex mosquitoes.