The invention describes a method for the synthesis of compounds comprising the steps of: (a) compartmentalising two or more sets of primary compounds into microcapsules; such that a proportion of the microcapsules contains two or more compounds; and (b) forming secondary compounds in the microcapsules by chemical reactions between primary compounds from different sets; wherein one or both of steps (a) and (b) is performed under microfluidic control; preferably electronic microfluidic control The invention further allows for the identification of compounds which bind to a target component of a biochemical system or modulate the activity of the target, and which is co-compartmentalised into the microcapsules.

A method for the production of a microcapsule, in particular a microcapsule of spherical shape having a hollow capsule space therein, includes the steps of: a) preparing of a suspension of particulate cementitious material in a solvent b) preparing a dispersion by mixing the suspension of step a) with an immiscible fluid so that (i) the suspension is present as a dispersed phase in the fluid as a dispersion medium or that (ii) the fluid is present as the dispersed phase in the suspension as the dispersion medium, such that the particulate material of the suspension adsorbs at least partially at a phase boundary between the fluid and the suspension, and c) allowing the particulate material adsorbed at the phase boundary to hydrate with the formation of a microcapsule.

The invention describes a method for the synthesis of compounds comprising the steps of: (a) compartmentalizing two or more sets of primary compounds into microcapsules; such that a proportion of the microcapsules contains two or more compounds; and (b) forming secondary compounds in the microcapsules by chemical reactions between primary compounds from different sets; wherein one or both of steps (a) and (b) is performed under microfluidic control; preferably electronic microfluidic control The invention further allows for the identification of compounds which bind to a target component of a biochemical system or modulate the activity of the target, and which is co-compartmentalized into the microcapsules.

The invention teaches a method of efficiently dewatering a microcapsule slurry to form a water re-suspendable filter cake of microcapsules. The process comprises providing an aqueous slurry of microcapsules dispersed in an aqueous solution; adding an agglomeration agent and dispersing the agglomeration agent into the aqueous slurry; adjusting the pH to a pH level sufficient to agglomerate the dispersed microcapsules; and filtering the aqueous slurry of microcapsules by gravity, vacuum or pressure filtration to thereby form a filter cake of dewatered microcapsules. The agglomeration agent is sodium polyphosphate, sodium tetrapolyphosphate, sodium hexametaphosphate, and/or sodium tripolyphosphate; or with anionic microcapsules or coatings even alkaline earth metal salts such as magnesium chloride, calcium chloride or barium chloride, or even aluminum salt such as aluminum chloride.

The invention teaches a method of efficiently dewatering a microcapsule slurry to form a water re-suspendable filter cake of microcapsules. The process comprises providing an aqueous slurry of microcapsules dispersed in an aqueous solution; adding an agglomeration agent and dispersing the agglomeration agent into the aqueous slurry; adjusting the pH to a pH level sufficient to agglomerate the dispersed microcapsules; and filtering the aqueous slurry of microcapsules by gravity, vacuum or pressure filtration to thereby form a filter cake of dewatered microcapsules. The agglomeration agent is sodium polyphosphate, sodium tetrapolyphosphate, sodium hexametaphosphate, and/or sodium tripolyphosphate; or with anionic microcapsules or coatings even alkaline earth metal salts such as magnesium chloride, calcium chloride or barium chloride, or even aluminum salt such as aluminum chloride.

This disclosure relates to a process for preparing a treated inorganic core particle having improved dispersability comprising: (a) heating a slurry comprising porous silica treated inorganic core particle and water at a temperature of at least about 90 C.; and (b) adding a soluble alumina source to the slurry from step (a) while maintaining the pH at about 8.0 to 9.5 to form an alumina treatment on the porous silica treated inorganic core particle; wherein the treated inorganic core particle does not comprise dense silica or alumina treatments, and has silica present in the amount of at least about 7% up to about 14% and alumina present in the amount of about 4.0% to about 8.0%; and wherein the particle to particle surface treatments are substantially homogeneous.

The disclosure provides a coating composition comprising a treated inorganic core particle, having improved dispersability, prepared by a process comprising: heating a slurry comprising porous silica treated inorganic core particle and water at a temperature of at least about 90 C., more typically about 93 to about 97 C., still more typically about 95 to about 97 C.; and adding a soluble alumina source to the slurry while maintaining the pH at about 8.0 to 9.5 to form an alumina treatment on the porous silica treated inorganic core particle; wherein the treated inorganic core particle does not comprise dense silica or alumina treatments, and has silica present in the amount of about 7% to about 14% and alumina present in the amount of about 4.0% to about 8.0%; and wherein the particle to particle surface treatments are substantially homogeneous.

A phase change microcapsule for drilling fluid cooling and its preparation method and application, belonging to the field of oilfield chemistry technology; the preparation method of the phase change microcapsule of the invention includes the steps as follows: the core materials of NaNO.sub.3 and KNO.sub.3 are dried, heated, melted, cooled and ground to obtain a phase change material mixture; added emulsifier into the linseed oil, then heated and stirred to obtain the oil phase; the phase change material mixture were added into the suspension of cellulose nanofibers (CNFs), then stirred followed by adding ammonium hydroxide to obtain the water phase; mixed the water phase with the oil phase, heated and stirred to form water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion; then added shell prepolymer material (tetraethyl silicate) into the emulsion, after centrifugation, washing and drying, the phase change microcapsule for cooling drilling fluid was obtained.

A phase change microcapsule for drilling fluid cooling and its preparation method and application, belonging to the field of oilfield chemistry technology; the preparation method of the phase change microcapsule of the invention includes the steps as follows: the core materials of NaNO.sub.3 and KNO.sub.3 are dried, heated, melted, cooled and ground to obtain a phase change material mixture; added emulsifier into the linseed oil, then heated and stirred to obtain the oil phase; the phase change material mixture were added into the suspension of cellulose nanofibers (CNFs), then stirred followed by adding ammonium hydroxide to obtain the water phase; mixed the water phase with the oil phase, heated and stirred to form water-in-oil (W/O) emulsion; then added shell prepolymer material (tetraethyl silicate) into the emulsion, after centrifugation, washing and drying, the phase change microcapsule for cooling drilling fluid was obtained.

A microchannel device, including a homogenization chamber, a deceleration-cooling channel, an acidity regulation channel, a microchannel reaction chamber, and an ultrafiltration desalination chamber. A method for preparing high-oil-load microcapsules using the aforementioned microchannel device, including: preparing an aqueous phase and an oil phase; feeding the aqueous phase and the oil phase to the homogenization chamber to form a first emulsion; cooling the first emulsion; adjusting pH of the first emulsion with dilute hydrochloric acid; feeding the first emulsion to the microchannel reaction chamber to form a second emulsion with a core-shell structure; removing Na.sup.+ and Cl.sup. from the second emulsion; and subjecting the second emulsion to spray drying to obtain the high-oil-load microcapsule powder.