  We describe several unexpected phenomena, caused by a solid-solid phase
transition (gel-to-crystal) typical for all main classes of lipid substances -
phospholipids, triglycerides, diglycerides, alkanes, etc. We discovered that
this transition leads to spontaneous formation of a network of nanopores,
spreading across the entire lipid structure. These nanopores are spontaneously
impregnated (flooded) by water when appropriate surfactants are present, thus
fracturing the lipid structure at a nano-scale. As a result, spontaneous
disintegration of the lipid into nanoparticles or formation of double emulsions
is observed, just by cooling and heating of an initial coarse lipid-in-water
dispersion around the lipid melting temperature. The process of nanoparticle
formation is effective even after incorporation of medical drugs of high load,
up to 50 % in the lipid phase. The role of the main governing factors is
clarified, the procedure is optimized, and the possibility for its scaling-up
to industrially relevant amounts is demonstrated.
