Preparation of Wide-Domain pH Color-Changing Nanocapsules and Application in Hydrogel Fibers

In recent years, there has been an increase in demand for pH color-changing materials. These materials can visually communicate signals to people by connecting pH changes with color information. Embedding pH indicators into fibers to create flexible color-changing materials is an effective way to develop daily wearable products. For the stability of the indicator and the indirect contact of the indicator with the human body, it is usually necessary to encapsulate it in capsules. In this study, different pH indicators (Thymol Blue-TB, Bromocresol Green-BCG, and Bromocresol Purple-BCP) were mixed into a wide-domain pH color-changing indicator and encapsulated with ethyl cellulose (EC) by the flash nanoprecipitation (FNP) method using a new-type droplet-shaped confined impinging jet mixer. The effects of flow rate, core-to-wall ratio, and mixed solution concentration on the formation of the nanocapsules were investigated. In addition, the morphology, particle size, size distribution, dispersion stability, and encapsulation efficiency were systematically studied. At a core-to-wall ratio of 1:2, a mixed solution with a concentration of 6 mg/mL and a feed flow rate of 40 mL/min produced nanocapsules with an average particle size of 141.83 ± 0.98 nm and a PDI of 0.125 ± 0.01. Furthermore, a zeta potential with a range of −31.83 ± 0.23 mV and an encapsulation efficiency of 75.20 ± 1.72% were observed at 1:2 core-to-wall ratios. It was concluded that the color of the nanocapsules continuously changed from yellow to green and green to blue when the pH range was increased from 3 to 10. The color-changing nanocapsules were then embedded into sodium alginate hydrogel fibers, resulting in the same color-changing trend (pH 3–10) as that obtained for the nanocapsules. This study can be useful for the pH monitoring of various body fluids, such as wound exudate, urine, and sweat.