The present invention provides a series of baroplastic materials, and
systems and methods of making and using such baroplastic materials. In
one aspect of the invention, polymeric particles are provided that can be
used to produce baroplastic materials under certain pressures and/or
below certain temperatures. In one set of embodiments, the polymeric
particles include an inner "core" region and an outer "shell" region. In
some cases, more than one "shell" region may be present. In another
arrangement the particles can include materials, or domains, in nanoscale
proximity with each other. Non-particulate materials can also be
processed in accordance with the invention. In another aspect of the
invention, the invention provides for polymeric particles that can be
processed and/or recycled multiple times, without causing significant
degradation or alteration in the physical and/or chemical properties of
the polymer. In yet another aspect, the invention provides compositions
able to form baroplastic materials upon the application of certain
pressures, where the composition includes at least two chemically
distinct materials in nanoscale proximity to each other. In still another
aspect of the invention, a method of mixing two polymers upon the
application of pressure is provided.