Patent ID: 7192995

Claim:
A process for producing homogenous blends of chemical agents and polymers, comprising the steps of: combining, in the presence of a supercritical fluid, at least one polymer capable of expansion in the presence of said supercritical fluid, which includes at least one functional group distributed at one or more locations along its chemical backbone, with at least one chemical agent that forms a crystalline solid, which includes at least one functional group which is capable of associating with said at least one functional group distributed at said one or more locations along the chemical backbone of said polymer, said combining step permits said at least one chemical agent to impregnate within said at least one polymer; then permitting said at least one functional group on said chemical agent to associate with said one functional group distributed at said one or more locations along the chemical backbone of said polymer, said permitting step producing a blend wherein said at least one polymer is associated with said at least one chemical agent at at least one of said one or more locations along the chemical backbone of said polymer and wherein said chemical agent is in crystalline form which is broken apart by agitation or mastication; agitating or masticating said blend during or after said permitting step so as to produce a free flowing powder comprised of particles including said chemical agent in its crystalline form associated with said at least one polymer; and separating said supercritical fluid from said blend after said permitting step or said agitating or masticating step.