To provide an infrared-reflective pigment and infrared-reflective coating composition provided with both high infrared-light reflecting properties and high visible-light transparency. Provided is a flake-shaped infrared-reflective pigment, the infrared-reflective pigment 1 characterized by being provided with a layered body 13 having at least one metal thin-film layer 11 and at least two transparent dielectric layers 12, the film thickness of the dielectric layer 12 being (an integer multiple of /4n)10 nm, where is the wavelength of incident light in a visible-light peripheral region and n is the refractive index of the dielectric layer 12. Also provided is an infrared-reflective coating composition containing the infrared-reflective pigment 1.

Copolymers and latex paint compositions using such copolymers that are heat-age stable and provide good adhesion, block resistance, and hiding all while using lower amounts of titanium dioxide are described herein. In one aspect, the heat-age stable compositions include an acrylic, styrene acrylic, vinyl acrylic copolymer or blends thereof including, as additional polymerizable units, at least one polymerizable phosphate surfactant and at least one linear or branched hydrophobic monomer that are both polymerized into the acrylic, styrene acrylic, vinyl acrylic copolymer backbone.

Copolymers and latex paint compositions using such copolymers that are heat-age stable and provide good adhesion, block resistance, and hiding all while using lower amounts of titanium dioxide are described herein. In one aspect, the heat-age stable compositions include an acrylic, styrene acrylic, vinyl acrylic copolymer or blends thereof including, as additional polymerizable units, at least one polymerizable phosphate surfactant and at least one linear or branched hydrophobic monomer that are both polymerized into the acrylic, styrene acrylic, vinyl acrylic copolymer backbone.

A coated powder comprises (a) particles, and (b) a coating on the surface of the particles including (1) silica moieties, (2) organo oxysilane moieties selected from the group consisting of mono-organo oxysilane moieties, bi-organo oxysilane moieties and tri-organo oxysilane moieties, and (3) poly(dialkyl)siloxane moieties. The amount by weight in SiO.sub.2 equivalents of the organo oxysilane moieties and the silica moieties is at least 0.0625% of the total coated powder weight per m.sup.2/g of the specific surface area of the particle to be coated.

A process for producing structural colours from smectite or vermiculite clay mineral comprising: (i) intercalating cations in every second layer of said clay mineral; and (ii) dispersion of the intercalated clay mineral in water to form an aqueous suspension.

A composite insulating material based on dielectrophoretic force orientation and its preparation method are provided. The method includes: S1, preparing dielectric composite microspheres with a dielectric epoxy resin as a core and a hexagonal boron nitride sheet as a shell; S2, dispersing the hexagonal boron nitride sheet and the dielectric composite microspheres in an organic solvent to obtain a dispersion liquid, and adding an epoxy resin, an epoxy resin curing agent, and an epoxy resin accelerator to the dispersing liquid, and evaporating the organic solvent to obtain a composite substrate; S3, pouring the composite substrate into a container, wherein an upper surface and a lower surface of the container are connected with electrodes, respectively, transferring the container to a vacuum oven, and connecting a power supply of the container to adjust a voltage amplitude and a frequency of the electrodes, conducting dielectrophoretic force orientation on the dielectric composite microspheres in the composite substrate, so as to cause the dielectric composite microspheres to arrange along a direction of electric field; S4, increasing a temperature of the container to cure the composite substrate, cutting off the power supply to the container after curing, and obtaining the composite insulating material.

Titanium Dioxide and other pigments or powders processed by this present process are smoothly discharging, low dusting, agglomerated, compaction resistant, extremely friable, and fully dispersible, and the process for the production of smoothly discharging pigment or powder consists of gently blending in the presence of an air flow and an electrostatic charge where said pigment or powder is agglomerated with or without a treated or non-treated seed particle of the same or similar pigment whereas said pigment or powder in accordance with the invention yields a composition of substantially spherical particulate that has a pseudo-particle size of 0.1-5.0 mm in the form of smoothly discharging, low dusting, non-sticky, agglomerated, compaction resistant pigment or powder, in which said pigment or powder particles are 80% -99.9% by weight, pigment, and in which the pigments or powders are compatible with inks, paints and plastics, and can be readily dispersed and incorporated into the same.

Methods are disclosed for producing an organic functionalized solid inorganic substrate, a surface of the inorganic substrate comprising a hydroxide and/or an oxide comprising an element M, the element M being a metal or a metalloid. The method includes drying the surface; optionally removing protons from the surface; and contacting the surface with an organometallic reagent comprising at least one organic functional moiety, thereby obtaining the organic functionalized inorganic substrate, the at least one organic functional moiety being attached to the element M of the hydroxide and/or the oxide by means of a direct M-C bond. The drying step includes contacting the surface with a flow comprising an inert gas. The organic functionalized inorganic substrate obtained by the method may be used as a membrane, a catalyst, a sorbent, a sensor or an electronic component, or as a substrate in filtration, adsorption, chromatography and/or separation processes.

A method for producing a silicon-containing oxide-coated aluminum nitride particle that maintains the high thermal conductivity of aluminum nitride particles, have excellent moisture resistance, and do not easily aggregate. A method for producing a silicon-containing oxide-coated aluminum nitride particle including an aluminum nitride particle and a silicon-containing oxide film that covers a surface of the aluminum nitride particle. The method includes a vapor-depositing an organic silicone compound including a specific structure on the surface of the aluminum nitride particle to obtain the aluminum nitride particle covered with the organic silicone compound under a nitrogen atmosphere, and a partial pressure of the organic silicone compound in the nitrogen atmosphere is 2.6?10.sup.2 to 3.9?10.sup.3 Pa, and heating the aluminum nitride particle covered with the organic silicone compound at a temperature of 300? C. or higher and lower than 1000? C.

A stable dispersion of exfoliated layer substances is prepared through interlayer exfoliation of a layered compound. A dispersion including quaternary ammonium ions (A) each having a total carbon atom number of 15 to 45 and one or two C.sub.10-20 alkyl groups, and an anionic surfactant (B) having an ammonium ion, wherein plate-like particles (C) having an average thickness of 0.7 to 40 nm, an average major-axis length of 100 to 600 nm, an average minor-axis length of 50 to 300 nm, and a ratio of average major-axis length to average minor-axis length of 1.0 to 10.0 are dispersed in a liquid medium, and the plate-like particles (C) in the dispersion have an average particle diameter of 10 to 600 nm as measured by dynamic light scattering, and a transparent substrate using the dispersion.