Chapter 9. Surface Modification, Encapsulation and Coating: A Career Built on Graft

Abstract

Colloid science can be used to provide significant benefits in the design and manufacture of personal care, cosmetic, pharmaceutical and medical products and processes. It has been called the midwife of invention; somewhere in the function, formulation and processing necessary to achieve new and improved products the influence of colloid science, though sometimes hidden from the untrained eye, will be felt. Brian Vincent has contributed much to the fundamentals of this science, in particular pushing forward the theoretical boundaries. Paraphrasing Nobel laureate Richard Smalley, if colloid science research is the “garden of the physical sciences”, then Brian also has been a creative master gardener harvesting solutions to many a thorny problem (no pun intended). And, like a good artisan, he has passed on his skills to those who have been fortunate enough to have been called his students. That he is an excellent teacher is evident from the many eminent scientists worldwide continuing his legacy.Trained in this discipline, I have continued to work for nearly forty years, not as a scientist or as an academic but as an instrument designer, cosmetics formulator and salesperson. Unlike many in academe and industry I have not stayed “in one place” but have moved as new opportunities and new challenges arose. In so doing I became a “jack-of-all-trades” but have had the good fortune of never having been bored. My contribution to this book celebrating the career of Brian Vincent is thus as an eminent businessman who has dabbled in colloid science.My contact with Brian dates back to 1968, and so this chapter will first chart the early associations with him and then focus on a few examples of how I have used some practical facets of colloid science such as surface modification, encapsulation and coating to build a successful and, financially, extremely rewarding business. I will end with a couple of examples of how the application of colloid science might help in the fight against HIV/AIDS. Throughout Brian's career I have been privileged to have him as a friend and to be able to call on his vast experience in the field of colloid and interface science. Discussions with him were always lively and instructive; the help and advice he has given me over the years has been invaluable. He is the epitome of the truly eminent scientist.