Porous metal oxide microspheres
AssigneesPresident and Fellows of Harvard College, BASF SE
InventorsRupa Hiremath Darji, James Newhouse, Vinothan N. Manoharan, Victoria Hwang, Anna B. Stephenson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Porous metal oxide microspheres are prepared via a process comprising forming a liquid dispersion of polymer nanoparticles and a metal oxide; forming liquid droplets of the dispersion; drying the droplets to provide polymer template microspheres comprising polymer nanospheres; and removing the polymer nanospheres from the template microspheres to provide the porous metal oxide microspheres. The porous microspheres exhibit saturated colors and are suitable as colorants for a variety of end-uses.
Claims20
A bulk sample of porous microspheres having:
- an average diameter of from about 1 μm to about 75 μm;
- and
- an average pore diameter of from about 50 nm to about 800 nm,
- wherein the porosity of each porous microsphere is distributed throughout the volume of the porous microsphere.
A bulk sample of metal oxide porous microspheres exhibiting a color observable by the human eye, the porous microspheres having an average diameter of from about 1 μm to about 75 μm, and wherein the porous microspheres comprise one or more light absorbers.
A composition selected from an aqueous formulation, an oil-based formulation, an ink, a coating formulation, a food, a plastic, a cosmetic formulation, or a material for a medical application or a security application, the composition comprising porous microspheres having an average diameter of from about 1 μm to about 75 μm, wherein the porosity of each porous microsphere is distributed throughout the volume of the porous microsphere.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.