An insulated wire comprising a conductor and an insulating layer covering the conductor, wherein: the insulating layer comprises a resin and a first filler; the resin comprises a polyimide; the first filler is present in the form of a primary particle or a secondary particle having a plurality of the primary particles aggregated; the primary particle is a silica or alumina particle; the secondary particle has a particle diameter of 0.03 m or more and 5 m or less; and the percentage of the total area of the secondary particles to the sum of the total area of the primary particles and the total area of the secondary particles in the cross section of the insulated wire is 50% or more.

In one embodiment, an antibacterial material includes at least one microparticles selected from tungsten oxide microparticles and tungsten oxide complex microparticles. The microparticles, which have undergone a test to evaluate viable cell count by inoculating in a test piece, to which the microparticles are adhered in a range of 0.02 mg/cm.sup.2 or more and 40 mg/cm.sup.2 or less, at least one bacterium selected from among Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, and enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli, and storing for 24 hours, have an antibacterial activity value R of 0.1 or more expressed by the following: R=log(B.sub.1/C.sub.1) where, B.sub.1 denotes an average value (number) of viable cell count after storing an untreated test piece for 24 hours, and C.sub.1 denotes an average value (number) of viable cell count after storing the test piece on which the microparticles are coated for 24 hours.

Provided is a water-based coating composition capable of forming a multilayer coating film having an excellent finished appearance and having excellent storage stability. A water-based coating composition to be used as a water-based first colored coating (X) in a 3-coat-1-bake multilayer coating formation method which sequentially applies a water-based first colored coating (X), a water-based second colored coating (Y), and a clear coating (Z) and heats and cures the obtained three-layer multilayer coating film simultaneously, wherein the water-based coating composition contains at least one resin selected from acrylic resins (A) and polyester resins (B), a curing agent (C), and urethane resin particles (D) obtained from structural components including a polyisocyanate component (d1) containing at least one diisocyanate (d1-1) selected from xylylene diisocyanate and hydrogenated xylylene diisocyanate and a polyol component (d2).

An infrared transmissive product includes a body. The body is configured to cover a transmitting unit and a receiving unit for infrared rays in an infrared sensor. The body includes a base made of a transparent plastic having an infrared transmissivity, and a coating film layer that is formed on a rear surface of the base in a transmission direction of infrared rays from the transmitting unit and has an infrared transmissivity. The coating film layer includes dispersed aggregates of particles of a pigment.

A method of preventing or treating an oral disease by reducing adhesion of microorganisms, e.g. Candida albicans, to dental appliances fabricated and/or repaired by an autopolymerizing acrylic reinforcement resin comprising zirconium dioxide nanoparticles.

Compositions for rendering a hydrophobic surface hydrophilic and methods for applying them to objects such as contact lenses. A hydrophobic binder, typically a silicone compound such as a siloxane, selectively attaches hydrophilic solution-produced nanoparticles to the surface, such as hydrophobic regions of a silicone contact lens. Hydrophilic regions are preferably unmodified. The binder attaches to the particles via functional groups in solution and can autoadhere to the hydrophobic surface. A coating of the composition can be deposited from solution at ambient or room temperature, allowing coating of temperature sensitive substrates. Such coatings can withstand heating (such as for sterilization) in acidic solutions or heat sensitive solutions, retaining their hydrophilic properties.

Silica based compositions that may be used coatings, films or other cast structures, as well as related methods and resulting structures are provided. In one embodiment, a hybrid nanosilica (HNS) composition includes tetraethylorthosilicate (TEOS), methyl triethoxysilane (MTEOS) and glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTMS). The composition may be used as a coating to provide various types of protection and device performance enhancement. For example, the composition may be used for impact protection or corrosion resistance. In one particular embodiment, optically enhancing nanoparticles may be dispersed throughout the HNS material and used as an antireflective coating (ARC) for various optical purposes.

A method for producing an apparatus includes covering an electronic component with a conformal coating that includes a polymer and metal nanoparticles blended with the polymer. The electronic component is mounted on a substrate and electrically connected by metal conductors. The conformal coating overlies the metal conductors.

A method is used to prepare silver nanoparticles or copper nanoparticles in the form of a silver nanoparticle cellulosic polymeric composite or a copper nanoparticle cellulose polymeric composite, respectively. A cellulosic polymer, organic solvent having a boiling point at atmospheric pressure of 100 C. to 500 C. and a Hansen parameter (.sub.T.sup.Polymer) equal to or greater than that of the cellulosic polymer, ascorbic acid, and a nitrogenous base are mixed to form a premix solution. At room temperature or upon heating the premix solution to a temperature of at least 40 C., a solution of reducible silver ions or reducible copper ions is added. The resulting silver or copper nanoparticle composite is cooled, isolated, and re-dispersed in an organic solvent, providing a non-aqueous silver-containing or copper-containing dispersion that can be disposed on a substrate to form an article.

Article comprising, in order, a substrate, a hardcoat comprising: a binder; and a mixture of nanoparticles in a range from 60 wt. % to 90 wt. %, based on the total weight of the hardcoat, wherein a range from 10 wt. % to 50 wt. % of the nanoparticles comprise a first group of nanoparticles having an average particle diameter in a range from 2 nm to 200 nm, and in a range from 50 wt. % to about 90 wt. % of the nanoparticles comprise a second group of nanoparticles having an average particle diameter in a range from 60 nm to 400 nm, based on the total weight of nanoparticles in the hardcoat, and having a ratio of the average particle size of the first group of nanoparticles to the average particle size of the second group of nanoparticles are in a range from 1:2 to 1:200; a layer comprising SiO.sub.xC.sub.y, where 0<x<2 and 0<y<1; and a hydrophilic layer. Articles described herein are useful, for example, for optical displays (e.g., cathode ray tubes (CRT) and light emitting diode (LED) displays), personal digital assistants (PDAs), cell phones, liquid crystal display (LCD) panels, touch-sensitive screens, removable computer screens, window films, and goggles.