A method of encapsulating pigment flakes with a metal oxide coating is provided. According to the method, pigment flakes are mixed with a solvent, a metal salt is added to the solvent, and a reducing agent is added to the solvent, so as to encapsulate the pigment flakes with a metal oxide coating.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a vanadium dioxide-containing particle that is excellent in the thermochromic property and the transparency. The method for producing a vanadium dioxide-containing particle of the present invention is a method for producing a vanadium dioxide-containing particle having a thermochromic property by using a hydrothermal reaction, and is characterized by surface-modifying a surface of the vanadium dioxide-containing particle without separating a solvent and the vanadium dioxide-containing particle.

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a vanadium dioxide-containing particle that is excellent in the thermochromic property and the transparency. The method for producing a vanadium dioxide-containing particle of the present invention is a method for producing a vanadium dioxide-containing particle having a thermochromic property by using a hydrothermal reaction, and is characterized by surface-modifying a surface of the vanadium dioxide-containing particle without separating a solvent and the vanadium dioxide-containing particle.

Novel colored compounds with a hibonite structure and a method for making the same are disclosed. The compounds may have a formula AAl.sub.12−x−yM.sup.a.sub.xM.sup.b.sub.yO.sub.19 where A is typically an alkali metal, an alkaline earth metal, a rare earth metal, Pb, Bi or any combination thereof, and M.sup.a is Ni, Fe, Cu, Cr, V, Mn, or Co or any combination thereof, and M.sup.b is Ti, Sn, Ge, Si, Zr, Hf, Ga, In, Zn, Mg, Nb, Ta, Sb, Mo, W or Te or any combination thereof. Compounds with varying colors, such as blue, can be made by varying A, M.sup.a and M.sup.b and their relative amounts. Compositions comprising the compounds and methods for making and using the same are also disclosed.

Novel colored compounds with a hibonite structure and a method for making the same are disclosed. The compounds may have a formula AAl.sub.12−x−yM.sup.a.sub.xM.sup.b.sub.yO.sub.19 where A is typically an alkali metal, an alkaline earth metal, a rare earth metal, Pb, Bi or any combination thereof, and M.sup.a is Ni, Fe, Cu, Cr, V, Mn, or Co or any combination thereof, and M.sup.b is Ti, Sn, Ge, Si, Zr, Hf, Ga, In, Zn, Mg, Nb, Ta, Sb, Mo, W or Te or any combination thereof. Compounds with varying colors, such as blue, can be made by varying A, M.sup.a and M.sup.b and their relative amounts. Compositions comprising the compounds and methods for making and using the same are also disclosed.

There is provided a modified zirconium phosphate tungstate which effectively suppresses the elution of phosphorus ions even when it contacts with water, can develop the performance excellent as a negative thermal expansion material, and can be dispersed in a polymer compound such as a resin, and use of which enables a low-thermal expansive material containing a negative thermal expansion filler to be well produced. The surface of a zirconium phosphate tungstate particle is coated with an inorganic compound containing one or two or more elements (M) selected from Zn, Si, Al, Ba, Ca, Mg, Ti, V, Sn, Co, Fe and Zr. The BET specific surface area of the zirconium phosphate tungstate particle is preferably 0.1 m.sup.2/g to 50 m.sup.2/g.

There is provided a modified zirconium phosphate tungstate which effectively suppresses the elution of phosphorus ions even when it contacts with water, can develop the performance excellent as a negative thermal expansion material, and can be dispersed in a polymer compound such as a resin, and use of which enables a low-thermal expansive material containing a negative thermal expansion filler to be well produced. The surface of a zirconium phosphate tungstate particle is coated with an inorganic compound containing one or two or more elements (M) selected from Zn, Si, Al, Ba, Ca, Mg, Ti, V, Sn, Co, Fe and Zr. The BET specific surface area of the zirconium phosphate tungstate particle is preferably 0.1 m.sup.2/g to 50 m.sup.2/g.

An optical web comprising includes a substrate with an anterior coating applied to the anterior side of the substrate and a posterior coating applied to the posterior side of the substrate. The refractive index of the anterior coating and the posterior coating is less than that of the substrate. A second coating layer may be applied to the anterior coating layer and/or the posterior coating layer, where the second coating layer has a refractive index less than that of the coating layer it is applied to. Additional coating layers may be applied to produce a stack of layers that decrease monotonically in refractive indexes moving outward from the substrate. The optical webs may be laminated together to form tear-off laminated lens stacks.

Disclosed are surface-treated inorganic particles including inorganic particles and a metal-organic framework bound to the surface of the inorganic particles, wherein catechins form a skeleton of the metal-organic framework, a method of manufacturing the inorganic particles, a dispersion solution in which the inorganic particles are dispersed, and a cosmetic composition including the inorganic particles or the dispersion solution.

The present invention discloses a rare-earth sulfide colorant and a preparation method thereof. The chemical formula of the rare-earth sulfide colorant of the present invention is RE.sub.2-2xS.sub.3-3x.2y [REPO.sub.4], wherein RE is selected from one or more of La, Ce, Pr, Nd and Sm, and the ratio of y to x is 0.001 to 0.65. The present invention also discloses use of a phosphorus-containing compound for increasing the vividness of a rare-earth sulfide colorant.