abstract |
Various aspects disclosed herein disclose mesocapsules that include active ingredients such as agriculturally active ingredients including various fungicides, insecticides, miticides, herbicides, safeners and modifiers of plant physiology or structure. These mesocapsules are comprised of a polyurea shell and include hydrophilic groups on their surfaces. These mesocapsules have a volume-average diameter of about 500 nm or less and some of them have a volume-average diameter on the order of about 300 nm or less. These mesocapsules are especially well suited for delivering active ingredients that are not very soluble in water, many of these compounds have solubility values in the range of 1,000 ppm or less. Methods for making these mesocapsules include interfacial polycondensation reactions carried out in the presence of surfactants such as sodium dodecyl sulfate and another method in which all or most of the surfactant is replaced by adding amino acids to the aqueous phase of the interfacial reaction mixture before forming the final emulsion. |