Abstract: A polymer particle production method includes: providing (12) one or more vinyl monomers; performing (14) free radical ring-opening polymerization (rROP) of cyclic ketene acetal (CKA) with the one or more vinyl monomers in a first organic solvent with a radical source to obtain a rROP reaction mixture; and emulsifying (16) the rROP reaction mixture in a second organic solvent to produce a plurality of polymer particles.

Abstract: There is provided a composition comprising a slurry of capsules, the capsules having shells comprising silica and said shells encapsulating phase change materials (PCM); and a cementitious binder. There is also provided a method for preparing said composition.

Abstract: There is provided a method of preparing a hybrid capsule, the method comprising heterocoagulating organic polymer latex particles with a primary capsule to form an organic polymer coating layer over a shell of the primary capsule.

Abstract: Present disclosure relates to a solvent-free method of encapsulating a hydrophobic active in personal care, hydrophobic active in crop protection or a hydrophobic active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) in polymeric nanoparticles. The method includes mixing the hydrophobic active in a polymer melt, wherein the polymer melt comprises a melt of a block co-polymer, wherein the polymer melt acts as a solvent for the hydrophobic active. The method further includes maintaining the polymer melt in water for sufficient time to allow self-assembly of the block co-polymer to encapsulate the hydrophobic active therein.

Abstract: There is provided a method of preparing silica nanocapsules, the method comprising mixing a surfactant with water at a temperature that is above the gel-to-liquid transition temperature of the surfactant to form a mixture, passing the mixture one or more times through at least one pore to obtain a dispersion of vesicles, and adding a silica precursor to the dispersion of vesicles to form silica nanocapsules. Also provided is a silica nanocapsule formed from a vesicle template, and a method of delivering one or more types of molecules to a subject. In a specific embodiment, hollow silica nanocapsules having substantially lens-shaped are synthesized by employing dimethyldioctadecylammonium bromide (DODAB) or dioctadecyldimethyl ammonium chloride (DODAC) as the vesicle template and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as the silica precursor.

Abstract: There is provided a composition comprising: (i) a polymer; (ii) inorganic particles; and (iii) aqueous medium, wherein the inorganic particles are adapted to interact with the polymer to cause an increase in glass transition temperature (Tg) during film formation of the composition. Also provided are a film, a method of preparing said film, a kit and a coated substrate.

Abstract: An organic solvent-free method of producing a polyester is disclosed herein. The method may include providing a mixture comprising at least one precursor of the polyester, wherein the at least one precursor is a liquid, and contacting the mixture with a gaseous inorganic acid to produce the polyester. A polyester obtained according to such a method is also disclosed herein.

Abstract: There is provided a method of producing silica capsules, the method comprising: adding a silica precursor to emulsified droplets in the presence of salt and alcohol to enhance silica growth around the emulsified droplets by an ion association effect, thereby forming silica capsules. Also provided are silica capsules producible by such a method.

Abstract: There is provided a method of preparing silica nanocapsules, the method comprising mixing a surfactant with water at a temperature that is above the gel-to-liquid transition temperature of the surfactant to form a mixture, passing the mixture one or more times through at least one pore to obtain a dispersion of vesicles, and adding a silica precursor to the dispersion of vesicles to form silica nanocapsules. Also provided is a silica nanocapsule formed from a vesicle template, and a method of delivering one or more types of molecules to a subject. In a specific embodiment, hollow silica nanocapsules having substantially lens-shaped are synthesized by employing dimethyldioctadecylammonium bromide (DODAB) or dioctadecyldimethyl ammonium chloride (DODAC) as the vesicle template and tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) as the silica precursor.

Abstract: Present disclosure relates to a solvent-free method of encapsulating a hydrophobic active in personal care, hydrophobic active in crop protection or a hydrophobic active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) in polymeric nanoparticles. The method includes mixing the hydrophobic active in a polymer melt, wherein the polymer melt comprises a melt of a block co-polymer, wherein the polymer melt acts as a solvent for the hydrophobic active. The method further includes maintaining the polymer melt in water for sufficient time to allow self-assembly of the block co-polymer to encapsulate the hydrophobic active therein.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to a nanoparticle loaded with a light sensitive molecule and a method of preparing the nanoparticle, wherein the nanoparticle is a colloidal gold nanoparticle and the light sensitive molecule is non-covalently adsorbed to the surface of the nanoparticle. The present invention is also directed to a nanoprobe comprising the nanoparticle and further comprising a targeting moiety covalently coupled to the surface of the nanoparticle. Additionally, the present invention is directed to an imaging method comprising administering the nanoprobe to a subject and collecting imaging data of the subject or part of the subject with optical multimodality imaging. A method of treating cancer in a subject comprising administering the nanoprobe and performing photodynamic therapy on the subject is further disclosed.

Abstract: Various embodiments relate to a substrate for optical sensing by Surface Enhanced Raman Spectroscopy (SERS). The substrate comprises a support, a first layer consisting of a plurality of metal nanoparticles attached to the surface of the support, and a second layer consisting of a plurality of metal nanoparticles attached to the surface of the metal nanoparticles of the first layer, wherein the mean diameter of the metal nanoparticles of the first layer is greater than the mean diameter of the metal nanoparticles of the second layer. Various embodiments also refer to methods for forming the substrate. In a further aspect, various embodiments refer to a biosensor comprising the inventive substrate for the detection of an analyte in a sample by SERS, a method for the detection of an analyte in a sample by SERS using the biosensor, and use of the biosensor in SERS detection methods.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing a substrate is provided. The method comprises, in some aspects, a) providing a support; b) forming a template by attaching a plurality of polymeric nanoparticles some or all having a core-shell structure to the support, wherein the core comprises a first polymer and the shell comprises a second polymer; and c) forming the metal nanoarray substrate by attaching a plurality of metallic nanoparticles to at least some of the polymeric nanoparticles of the template. A biosensor comprising a substrate manufactured by the method, and a method for the detection of an analyte in a sample by surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS) is also provided.