the present invention provides a nanocapsule of a blocked isocyanate encapsulated within a polymeric nanosphere . in one aspect , the polymeric nanosphere is functionalized . free isocyanate functionality is released upon thermal annealing or uv exposure of the nanospheres containing the blocked isocyanate . this present invention also provides a novel method for encapsulating isocyanates in aqueous media . in one aspect , the method comprises miniemulsion polymerization . the thermally or uv deblocked isocyanate can be used as an active functional group for many potential applications .