A particle containing a hydrophobic region and a hydrophilic region, products containing the same, a process of making the same, and uses thereof are described. A process of making the particle is also described wherein UV/Ozone techniques can be used to control the depth of organics removal from a porous hydrophobic particle such as an aerogel. The particles can be used in a variety of applications, such as a monolith, a building block, an optical waveguide, a blanket, a matting agent, a structural composite panel, a glass-fiber reinforced panel, a window, a separation wall, a composite wall, a temperature insulation panel, a sound insulation panel, a moisture resistant article, a syntactic foam, or any product of manufacture containing the particles.