A foamed, opacifying element is useful as a light-blocking article, and includes a substrate; an opacifying layer disposed on the substrate, and a functional composition disposed over the opacifying layer. The functional composition comprises a tinting material comprising one or more pigments, one or more dyes, or a combination thereof to provide a desired tint or colorant to the entire foamed, opacifying element.

A textile fabric with a woven support layer including at least polyethylene and/or polyester fibres. A surface coating is applied onto at least one surface of the support layer, and the surface coating includes at least one polymer blend. The polymer blend has at least one mixture of polyethylene and polyethylene-vinyl acetate, and the polymer blend has more than 40 wt. % of polyethylene-vinyl acetate, based on the total weight of the polymer blend.

A sunshade includes a support frame and a canopy connected to the support frame and including a light-transmissible fabric sheet of undyed yarns that has opposite inner and outer surfaces, an ink layer formed on one of the inner and outer surfaces of the light-transmissible fabric sheet using dye-sublimation printing techniques, and an opaque enamel coating coated on the other of the inner and outer surfaces of the light-transmissible fabric sheet. The undyed yarns are woven and cross one another to form fabric pores thereamong. The opaque enamel coating fills the fabric pores. A method of preparing a canopy is disclosed.

A method is designed to prepare foamed, opacifying elements each having a target light blocking value (LBV.sub.T) of at least 3, using a textile fabric substrate with a light blocking value (LBV.sub.S). The LBV.sub.T-S difference is calculated; a foamable aqueous composition is chosen; a dry coating weight for the foamable aqueous composition (when foamed) is determined to form a single dry opacifying layer that is foamed, dried, and densified to provide a dry thickness at least 20% less than the original dry thickness. The single dry opacifying layer a has light blocking value that is equal to LBV.sub.T-S, 15%. The desired foamable aqueous composition can be chosen from a set of similar compositions to achieve the desired LBV.sub.T with the noted textile fabric substrate using suitable mathematical formula relating dry coating weight to light blocking value and a suitable data processor.

Foamable aqueous compositions can be foamed and applied to porous substrates to make light-blocking dry opacifying elements. Such compositions have 0.05-15 weight % of porous particles; at least 20 weight % of a binder; at least 0.0001 weight % of additives (including a surfactant); water; and at least 0.001 weight % of an opacifying colorant. Each porous particle includes a continuous polymeric phase and discrete pores; a mode particle size of 2-50 m; and a porosity of 20-70 volume %. The continuous polymeric phase T.sub.g is >80 C. and has a polymer viscosity of 80-500 centipoises at an ethyl acetate shear rate of 100 sec.sup.1 at a concentration of 20 weight % at 25 C. The dry opacifying element light blocking value is at least 4 and has a luminous reflectance >40% as measured by the color space Y tristimulus value. The foamed aqueous composition has a foam density of 0.1-0.5 g/cm.sup.3.

A coating composition for fabrics, wherein the coating composition comprises a pollen denaturing agent, an anti-microbial agent and a polymeric carrier, wherein the pollen denaturing agent is different to the anti-microbial agent.

Foamable aqueous compositions can be foamed and applied to porous substrates to make light-blocking dry opacifying elements. Such compositions have 0.05-15 weight % of porous particles; at least 20 weight % of a binder; at least 0.0001 weight % of additives (including a surfactant); water; and at least 0.001 weight % of an opacifying colorant. Each porous particle includes a continuous polymeric phase and discrete pores; a mode particle size of 2-50 m; and a porosity of 20-70 volume %. The continuous polymeric phase T.sub.g is >80 C. and has a polymer viscosity of 80-500 centipoises at an ethyl acetate shear rate of 100 sec.sup.1 at a concentration of 20 weight % at 25 C. The dry opacifying element light blocking value is at least 4 and has a luminous reflectance >40% as measured by the Y tristimulus value. The foamed aqueous composition has a foam density of 0.1-0.5 g/cm.sup.3.

A screen includes a mesh substrate having an openness of greater than 30% when viewed at 0 incidence, the mesh substrate having a first major surface and a second major surface, the first major surface including a first coating, the first major surface having a first reflectance value, wherein the first reflectance value has an average value of greater than about 10% as measured by an EN410 standard and a diffuse reflection profile at all viewing angles from 89 to 89, excluding an angle of direct illumination as measured by a scattering distribution function technique using a Goniometer, wherein the diffuse reflection profile provides a reduction in view through the mesh substrate when viewed from 89 to 89.

The present invention provides an article, in particular for solar protection, comprising at least one metal-coating layer and a textile layer having an outside face comprising at least one polymer mixed with at least one plasticizer to form a first matrix. Advantageously, the bonding between said first matrix and the metal-coating layer is provided by an intermediate polymer layer comprising at least one coupling polymer, said coupling polymer being bonded by chemical bonds firstly to the first matrix and secondly to the metal-coating layer.

The present invention also provides a method of fabricating such an article including a step of metal coating by depositing metal vapor under reduced pressure.

The present invention relates to a flame retardant waterborne coating composition comprising: a) water dispersed hydroxyl-terminated polyurethane particles, and b) isocyanate crosslinker, wherein (i) the hydroxyl-terminated polyurethane contains phosponate oligomer as a building block in an amount of from 3 to 75 parts by weight relative to the hydroxyl-terminated polyurethane, wherein the phosphonate oligomer contains units according to the following structural formula in which n is an integer from 1 to 20, R is a C.sub.1-20 alkyl, C.sub.2-20 alkene, C.sub.2-20 alkyne, C.sub.5-20 cycloalkyl or C.sub.6-20 aryl, and R.sub.2 is an aliphatic or aromatic group, (ii) the hydroxyl number of the hydroxyl-terminated polyurethane is from 5 to 180 mg KOH/g polyurethane, (iii) the molar ratio of hydroxyl groups present in the hydroxyl-terminated polyurethane to isocyanate groups of the crosslinker is from 0.2 to 2.0.

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