ENCAPSULATED MATERIALS WITH IMPROVED PROPERTIES

Described herein are polymer-encapsulated materials and a method for encapsulating materials with polymer via emulsion polymerization. The encapsulated materials include colorants (e.g., pigments and dyes, and in particular fluorescent dyes), optical brighteners, downconverters and upconverters. The encapsulated materials are produced by the emulsion polymerization of ethylenically unsaturated monomers. The polymer-encapsulation method described herein does not require the preparation of a miniemulsion homogenized with special equipment, such as an ultrasonification device, and the resulting polymer-encapsulated materials exhibit optical properties superior to polymer-encapsulated materials prepared by processes that include the preparation of a miniemulsion prepared with such special equipment, such as an ultrasonification device.