Patent ID: 9707185
Date: 2017-07-18
CPC Classifications: A23L,A61K,A61P,Y10S

Claim:
1. A plurality of nanoparticles; wherein each said nanoparticle comprises one or more hydrophobic cores, a surfactant intermediate layer, and a polymeric layer; wherein each of said one or more hydrophobic cores is bound to said surfactant intermediate layer via nonpolar-nonpolar intermolecular interactions; and said surfactant intermediate layer is bound to said polymeric layer via electrostatic or polar interactions; and wherein: (a) each of said one or more hydrophobic cores comprises primarily one or more hydrophobic compounds; and the mean diameter of said cores is at least about 20 nm; and (b) said surfactant intermediate layer comprises primarily one or more surfactant compounds; wherein each of said one or more surfactant compounds comprises one or more hydrophobic moieties and one or more hydrophilic moieties; wherein said surfactant hydrophobic moieties orient preferentially toward said one or more hydrophobic cores, and bind said one or more hydrophobic cores via nonpolar-nonpolar intermolecular interactions; and wherein said surfactant hydrophilic moieties orient preferentially away from said one or more hydrophobic cores; and (c) said polymeric layer comprises alginic acid, which alginic acid comprises hydrophilic moieties; wherein some of said alginic acid hydrophilic moieties orient toward said surfactant intermediate layer, and bind said surfactant intermediate layer via electrostatic or polar interactions between said alginic acid hydrophilic moieties and said surfactant hydrophilic moieties; and wherein some of said alginic acid hydrophilic moieties orient outward, so that said alginic acid hydrophilic moieties are favorably positioned to be able to interact with water molecules via electrostatic or polar intermolecular interactions; (d) said polymeric layer additionally comprises one or more crosslinking moieties that crosslink at least some of said alginic acid molecules to one another, and that enhance the structural integrity of said nanoparticle as compared to an otherwise identical nanoparticle lacking said one or more crosslinking moieties; wherein said one or more crosslinking moieties comprise calcium cations; (e) said nanoparticles are water-soluble; such that the total concentration of said one or more hydrophobic compounds that is soluble in water, when said one or more hydrophobic compounds are present as a component of said nanoparticles, is substantially greater than the total concentration of said one or more hydrophobic compounds that is soluble in water lacking surfactant, at the same temperature and pressure, when said one or more hydrophobic compounds remain unmodified and are not incorporated into such nanoparticles; (f) said nanoparticles have the property that, if said nanoparticles are dissolved in water and the resulting solution is allowed to stand undisturbed at room temperature without mixing, for seven days, then there will be no substantial settling of said nanoparticles from the aqueous phase, nor any substantial phase separation of said one or more hydrophobic compounds; and said nanoparticles have the further property that, if said nanoparticles are dissolved in water and the resulting mixture is centrifuged at 10,000 rpm for 15 minutes, there will be no leakage of said one or more hydrophobic compounds from said nanoparticles, nor any substantial phase separation of said one or more hydrophobic compounds; and (g) the mean diameter of said nanoparticles is less than about 5 μm.