Hybrid organic-inorganic colloidal composite 'sponges' via internal crosslinking

An effective method for the generation of hybrid organic-inorganic nanocomposite microparticles featuring controlled size and high structural stability is presented. In this process, an oil-in-water Pickering emulsion is formed using hydrophilic amine-functionalized silica nanoparticles. Covalent modification using a hydrophobic maleic anhydride copolymer then alters nanoparticle wettability during crosslinking, causing a core-shell to nanocomposite structural reorganization of the assemblies. The resulting porous nanocomposites maintain discrete microparticle structures and retain payloads in their oil phase even when incubated in competitive solvents such as ethanol.