Abstract
Novel polymeric sodium alginate (Na‐Alg) interpenetrating network (IPN) beads have been prepared by crosslinking Na‐Alg blend with gelatin (GE) or egg albumin (EA) using glutaraldehyde (GA) as the crosslinking agent. These beads were used for the controlled release of chlorpyrifos. The swelling experiments were performed in water at different temperatures, and these data were used to calculate the molecular mass (M~C~) between crosslinks as well as diffusion coefficients. Diffusion coefficients calculated from desorption data were lower by about two orders of magnitude than those calculated from sorption results. Higher values of M~C~ were obtained for the gelatin‐based IPNs than the neat Na‐Alg and egg albumin‐based matrices. Size of the beads did not vary significantly either by the network or by increasing the exposure time to the crosslinking agent. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was used to understand the surface characteristics of the beads. Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) indicated a molecular level dispersion of chlorpyrifos in the polymer matrix. The percentage entrapment efficiency showed a dependence on the type of network polymer as well as time of exposure to the crosslinking agent. The encapsulation efficiency decreased with an increase in time of exposure to the crosslinking agent. In vitro release experiments have been performed to follow the release kinetics of chlorpyrifos from the matrices. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 85: 911–918, 2002