Abstract: The polishing composition is suitable for chemical mechanical polishing magnetic, optical, semiconductor or silicon substrates. The polishing composition includes abrasive particles in a liquid media. The abrasive particles have a particle core, the particle core having a hardness and a polymeric shell physisorbed to and encapsulating the particle core. The polymeric shell has a solid structure and a hardness lower than the hardness of the particle core. The abrasive particles have an average particle size of less than or equal to about 2 micrometers dispersed in the liquid media.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing polymer-coated particles is useful for chemical mechanical polishing magnetic, optical, semiconductor or silicon substrates. First it provides a dispersion of particle cores in a non-aqueous solvent. Then introducing a polymeric precursor into the dispersion to react the polymeric precursor forms a polymer. The polymer coats at least a portion of the surface of the particle cores with the polymer and forms the polymer-coated particles having a solid outer polymeric shell. Substituting the non-aqueous solvent with water forms an aqueous mixture containing the polymer-coated particles. And it forms an aqueous chemical mechanical polishing formulation with the polymer-coated particles without drying the polymer-coated particles.