[nanoRequest] SHAPE-CONTROLLED ORGANIC PARTICLES

SHAPE-CONTROLLED ORGANIC PARTICLES

A Global 500 fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) company wishes to identify providers that can produce samples of organic-based nano/micro particles with controlled shape, for evaluation against a range of proposed product benefits. Successful technologies must have the potential to be scaled up for commercial manufacture with cost structures consistent with applications within the FMCG industry.

What’s the key? – ability to control shape and size in the range 100 nanometers to a few microns (for in-house proof-of-principle testing).

CONTEXT

FMCG products of interest might include Family Health and Personal Care products such as shampoos, skin creams & lotions, cosmetics, deodorants and toothpastes as well as Home Care products such as laundry and household cleaning products. Various materials like polymers are often used in such products to confer benefits such as rheological control and delivery of benefits agents to surfaces. We believe that nano/micro particles may be able to deliver such benefits provided the shape can be controlled and designed for the task in hand.

TECHNICAL NEEDS

Particle properties

We are looking for proven technological methods for making suitable particles with controlled properties such as those outlined below:-

• - Material - made of organic components. We are not interested particles made from inorganic components.
• - Size - ranging from 200 nanometers to a few microns
• - Shape – a wide range of shapes are of interest (e.g. disks, rods, branched rods….)
• - The process must offer strong control over particle sizes and shapes
• - Stability – must be stable in aqueous environments.
• - Regulatory / safety – no known issues for FMCG

Ideally the technological solution would be ready to be scaled up in order to produce large quantities, although this is not essential.

Benefits anticipated

Our interest is in using such particles to explore their effects on typical HPC products. While not providing an exhaustive list, we believe the potential product benefits might include:-

o        - rheology control

o        - “sensory” properties

o        - interactions with surfaces

The expectation is that we would need a very low concentration of these particles to achieve results that are currently achieved by addition of e.g. significant levels of polymers (e.g. thickeners).

Known technology options

There are a number of published approaches to shaped organic nanoparticles. We are looking for proven technologies which in particular allow strong control over shape and size. Note that inorganic particles are out of scope for this brief.

YOUR RESPONSE

Please provide non-confidential information to address these criteria, in particular evidence to help convince us that you:-

• - have a proven process to produce samples of suitable materials (100mg to 1g)
• - can control particle size and shape as outlined above

WHO SHOULD RESPOND?

Suitable responses

• - I am a company that can manufacture suitable particles, and these are commercially available or just pre-commercial
• - I am a company or Institution who can manufacture lab-scale samples of such materials, but we would need to explore commercialization
• - I am a company or institution who has technology that should be suitable, and have demonstrated feasibility via proof of principle work.

Un-suitable responses

• - I am a specialist in inorganic particles
• - I have theoretical approaches to model effects.
• - I have (unproven) ideas which I think may succeed

MOVING FORWARDS

If your initial response is successful, we will want you to provide samples of material which we will test against a range of criteria under a suitable agreement designed to protect both our interests. If relevant benefits are found we will consider any negotiated deal going forwards, aiming ultimately towards global commercialization in FMCG products.

IMPORTANT

Please ensure that your initial response contains only non-confidential information at this time. This will allow us to perform an initial quick review and assessment. If we decide to take it further we may request that you provide additional information, and in that instance we may want to execute a suitable confidentiality agreement designed to protect both our interests.

Please send replies to andy.garland@nanoposts.com , T: +44 (0) 1786474768.