Methods to produce polymer nanoparticles and formulations of active ingredients
The present invention provides a composition including a polymer nanoparticle and at least one agricultural active compound incorporated with the nanoparticle, wherein the nanoparticle are less than 100 nm in diameter, and the polymer includes a polyelectrolyte.
1. A composition comprising a polymer nanoparticle and at least one organic, neutral, non-ionic agricultural compound associated with the polymer nanoparticle, wherein the polymer nanoparticle is less than 100 nm in diameter and cross-Linked; wherein the polymer nanoparticle comprises a collapsed water-soluble polyelectrolyte; wherein the polyelectrolyte has a molecular weight of at least about 100,000 Dalton prior to collapse and cross-linking; and wherein the agricultural compound is a fungicide.
2. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the fungicide has a mode of action that targets cell respiration or inhibits sterol biosynthesis in cell membranes.
3. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the fungicide is selected from the group consisting of sterol demethylation inhibitors, quinone-outside inhibitors and combinations thereof.
4. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the fungicide is a combination of fungicides the first selected from the group consisting of azoxystrobin, pyraclostrobin, trifloxystrobin, and fluoxastrobin and the second is a sterol demethylation inhibitor.
5. The composition of claim 3 , wherein the fungicide is a quinone-outside inhibitor selected from the group consisting of azoxystrobin, pyraclostrobin, trifloxystrobin, fluoxastrobin and combinations thereof.
6. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the fungicide is azoxystrobin.
7. The composition of claim 3 , wherein the fungicide is a sterol demethylation inhibitor.
8. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the polymer nanoparticle comprises multiple collapsed water-soluble polyelectrolyte molecules that each have a molecular weight of at least about 100,000 Dalton prior to collapse and cross-linking.
9. A dispersion comprising the composition of claim 3 , wherein the fungicide is dispersed at a concentration higher than its solubility in the absence of the polymer nanoparticle.
10. The composition of claim 3 , wherein the water-soluble polyelectrolyte is selected from the group consisting of poly(acrylic acid), poly(methacrylic acid), poly(styrene sulfonate), and copolymers comprising these polymers.
11. The composition of claim 10 , wherein the polyelectrolyte is a copolymer of poly(acrylic acid) and/or poly(methacrylic acid).
12. The composition of claim 1 , wherein the water-soluble polyelectrolyte has a molecular weight of at least about 250,000 Daltons prior to collapse and cross-linking.
13. The composition of claim 6 , wherein the water-soluble polyelectrolyte is selected from the group consisting of poly(acrylic acid), poly(methacrylic acid), poly(styrene sulfonate), and copolymers comprising these polymers.
14. The composition of claim 13 , wherein the polyelectrolyte is a copolymer of poly(acrylic acid) and/or poly(methacrylic acid).
15. The composition of claim 7 , wherein the water-soluble polyelectrolyte is selected from the group consisting of poly(acrylic acid), poly(methacrylic acid), poly(styrene sulfonate), and copolymers thereof.
16. The composition of claim 15 , wherein the polyelectrolyte is a copolymer of poly(acrylic acid) and/or poly(methacrylic acid).
17. A composition comprising a polymer nanoparticle and at least one organic, neutral, non-ionic agricultural compound associated with the polymer nanoparticle, wherein the polymer nanoparticle is less than 100 nm in diameter and cross-linked; wherein the polymer nanoparticle comprises a collapsed water-soluble polyelectrolyte; wherein the polymer has a molecular weight of at least about 100,000 Dalton prior to collapse and cross-linking; and wherein the agricultural compound is an insecticide.
18. The composition of claim 17 , wherein the insecticide has a mode of action selected from the group consisting of sodium channel modulators, chloride channel inhibitors, nicotinic acetylcholine receptor agonists, and combinations thereof.
19. The composition of claim 17 , wherein the insecticide is selected from the group consisting of pyrethroids, mectins, and combinations thereof.
20. The composition of claim 19 , wherein the insecticide is a pyrethroid selected from the group consisting of lambda-cyhalothrin, bifenthrin, and combinations thereof.
21. The composition of claim 20 , wherein the insecticide is lambda-cyhalothrin.
22. The composition of claim 19 , wherein the insecticide is a mectin selected from the group consisting of abamectin, emamectin, emamectin salts and combinations thereof.
23. The composition of claim 17 , wherein the polymer nanoparticle comprises multiple collapsed water-soluble polyelectrolyte molecules that each have a molecular weight of at least about 100,000 Dalton prior to collapse and cross-linking.
24. A dispersion comprising the composition of claim 21 , wherein the insecticide is dispersed at a concentration higher than its solubility in the absence of the polymer nanoparticle.
25. The composition of claim 17 , wherein the water-soluble polyelectrolyte is selected from the group consisting of poly(acrylic acid), poly(methacrylic acid), poly(styrene sulfonate), and copolymers comprising these polymers.
26. The composition of claim 25 , wherein the polyelectrolyte is a copolymer of poly(acrylic acid) and/or poly(methacrylic acid).
27. The composition of claim 17 , wherein the water-soluble polyelectrolyte has a molecular weight of at least about 250,000 Daltons prior to collapse and cross-linking.