The invention relates to platelet-shaped pearlescent pigments that are coated with at least one mixed inorganic/organic layer for improving their application properties, and of these, particularly their mechanical properties, and to methods for the production thereof and to the use thereof. The said mixed inorganic/organic layer comprises at least one at least partially crosslinked inorganic metal-oxide component and an organic component. The organic component is at least one organic oligomer and/or polymer, which is covalently bonded, at least in part, to the inorganic network via network formers, wherein the coating comprises at least one mixed inorganic/organic layer, which mixed mixed layer comprises, at least in part, an inorganic network having one or more inorganic oxide component(s) and at least one organic component, the organic component being, at least in part, an organic oligomer and/or polymer covalently bonded, at least in part, to the inorganic network via one or more organic network formers. The invention also relates to a method for the production of such pearlescent pigments.

A method for forming a pigmented aqueous slurry includes a step of combining a dispersant having pigment affinic groups with water to form an aqueous dispersant mixture. Pigment is added to the aqueous dispersant mixture to form an aqueous pigment mixture. The aqueous pigment composition is ground until the average particle size is less than 30 microns to form a pigmented aqueous slurry.

There is provided an ink composition including: a predetermined dye (C-1); a dye (C-2) containing at least one of C.I. Direct Blues 86 and 199; an alkylene oxide adduct of an acetylene glycol having a main chain of 12 or more carbon atoms; an acetylene glycol having a main chain of 10 or more carbon atoms; and a polyoxyalkylene alkyl ether, in which the content ratio A of the dye (C-1) and the dye (C-2) (the dye (C-1):the dye (C-2)) is 7:3 to 9.5:0.5, and the content of the dye (C-1) is 2.0 mass % to 5.0 mass %.

The present invention provides the following process for producing a fine organic pigment which is capable of producing the fine organic pigment that has a very small primary particle size and is excellent in filtering property even in a cleaning step, and a fine organic pigment produced by the process; a process for producing a dispersion using the fine organic pigment, and a dispersion produced by the process; and a process for producing an ink using the dispersion. The present invention relates to [1] a process for producing a fine organic pigment, including steps 1 and 2: step 1: kneading a mixture prepared by compounding a raw material organic pigment, a water-soluble inorganic salt, a water-soluble organic solvent and a compound represented by the following formula (1) with each other, the compound being compounded in an amount of not less than 0.8 part by mass and not more than 18.0 parts by mass on the basis of 100 parts by mass of the raw material organic pigment: R.sup.1O(PO).sub.m(EO).sub.nA (1); and step 2: subjecting the mixture obtained in the step 1 to cleaning treatment with an aqueous solvent and then to filtration, [2] a fine organic pigment produced by the process according to the above aspect [1], [3] a dispersion produced using the fine organic pigment according to the above aspect [2], [4] a process for producing a paste of a fine organic pigment, including the above step 1 and 2, [5] a process for producing a dispersion, including step 3 of subjecting the paste of the fine organic pigment produced by the process according to the above aspect [4], an organic solvent and water to dispersing treatment, and [6] a process for producing an ink, including step 4 of mixing the dispersion produced by the process according to the above aspect [5] with at least one material selected from the group consisting of water and an organic solvent.

The present invention relates to a fluorescent polymer cast on the surface of wells of a plate and a plate comprising the fluorescent polymer. The plate is used in a method for calibrating read-out values of plate readers. The method for calibrating the plate readers can effectively reduce the deviation of read-out values among different plate readers.

A process for preparing a dispersion comprising the stages: i) providing a dispersion comprising a particulate solid, a liquid medium and a dispersant having cross-linkable groups and a weight averaged molecular weight of from 1,000 to 70,000; and ii) cross-linking the dispersant in the presence of the particulate solid and the liquid medium thereby preparing a dispersion of an encapsulated particulate solid, wherein the cross-linking is performed such that 0.01 to 0.5 mmoles of cross-linkable groups in the dispersant are cross-linked per g of dispersant; said process also comprising at any stage: iii) adding a metal chelating agent to the dispersion; and after stage iii) the stage of: iv) removing at least some of the metal chelating agent from the dispersion.

The present invention relates to a modified colorant comprising a colorant having at least one polymer attached or adsorbed thereto. The polymer comprises at least one functional group, and various embodiments of the functional group are disclosed. For each of these embodiments, preferably the functional group has a defined calcium index value. Also disclosed are various uses for these modified colorants, including inkjet ink compositions. Thus, the present invention further relates to an inkjet ink composition comprising a) a liquid vehicle, b) at least one colorant, and c) at least one polymer comprising at least one functional group as described herein.

A method for the production of a sol-gel based matrix resulting in a sol-gel based matrix with high stability and high porosity. The sol-gel based material may be used for the production of a composite or sensor suitable for monitoring analytes.

A compound comprises at least one fluorescent moiety covalently bound to at least one second moiety selected from the group consisting of leuco moieties and chromophore moieties.

A method for producing an aqueous pigment dispersion liquid, including: a kneading step of kneading a mixture of a quinacridone pigment (a), a pigment derivative (b), an organic high-molecular compound having an anionic group (c), a basic compound (d), and an acetylene glycol surfactant (e) in a closed kneader to prepare a pigment-kneaded material having a solid content in the range of 50% to 80% by mass; and a step of diluting the pigment-kneaded material with an aqueous medium. A method for producing a water-based ink for ink jet recording, including a step of diluting the aqueous pigment dispersion liquid with an aqueous medium.