Articles of wear comprises iron oxide colloidal nanocrystals arranged within chains are described. The chains of nanocrystals display a color that is determined by a strength of a magnetic field applied to the chains of nanocrystals, wherein the color is maintained when the magnetic field is removed.

The present invention relates to polyoxometalate-coated alumina trihydrate dispersants prepared by combining a polyaluminum chloride having certain characteristics with alumina trihydrate particles. Such dispersants are useful for forming cationic alumina trihydrate slurries, which can be mixed with titanium dioxide to produce stable cationic slurry blends useful in paper, paper-board, and paint (coatings) applications. The dispersants are also useful for preparing cationic titanium dioxide slurries.

Apparatuses for manipulating a color displayed by an article of wear comprising iron oxide colloidal nanocrystals arranged within chains are described. The apparatus includes (a) a magnetic field source, wherein a strength of a magnetic field generated by the magnetic field source is tunable to control the color displayed by the article of wear, and (b) an energy source, wherein energy generated by the energy source is applied to at least some of the chains of nanocrystals to soften materials within the article of wear immediately surrounding the chains of nanocrystals to which the energy is applied.

A composition contains an additive for assisting with regeneration of the PF in the form of an organic dispersion of iron particles in crystallized form and a detergent including a quaternary ammonium salt.

Disclosed is a carbon felt impregnated with inorganic particles. The impregnated carbon felt can be used together with sulfur in a cathode of a sodium-sulfur (NaS) battery. Also disclosed is a method for producing the impregnated carbon felt. According to exemplary embodiments, the problem of the prior art can be solved in which inorganic particles such as alumina particles are not directly adhered to carbon felts, thus necessitating complicated processes. In addition, a slurry including an inorganic binder and alumina particles can be used to directly coat the alumina particles on the surface of a carbon felt, making the production procedure very simple. Furthermore, the use of the carbon felt surface coated with the alumina particles in a NaS battery increases the wicking of sodium polysulfides, suppresses the accumulation of sulfur as an insulator on the surface of beta-alumina as an electrolyte, and inhibits non-uniform aggregation of sulfur or sodium polysulfides on the carbon felt, so that the concentration polarization of charges can be reduced without a significant increase in the internal resistance of the battery, achieving high utilization efficiency of sulfur as a reactant.

Articles of wear comprises iron oxide colloidal nanocrystals arranged within chains are described. The chains of nanocrystals display a color that is determined by a strength of a magnetic field applied to the chains of nanocrystals, wherein the color is maintained when the magnetic field is removed.

Apparatuses for manipulating a color displayed by an article of wear comprising iron oxide colloidal nanocrystals arranged within chains are described. The apparatus includes (a) a magnetic field source, wherein a strength of a magnetic field generated by the magnetic field source is tunable to control the color displayed by the article of wear, and (b) an energy source, wherein energy generated by the energy source is applied to at least some of the chains of nanocrystals to soften materials within the article of wear immediately surrounding the chains of nanocrystals to which the energy is applied.

Methods of manipulating a color displayed by a transfer medium or substrate comprising iron oxide colloidal nanocrystals arranged within chains, wherein each chain of nanocrystals is encapsulated are described. The method includes (a) applying a magnetic field to the transfer medium or substrate to control the color displayed by the transfer medium or substrate; and (b) applying energy to at least some of the chains of nanocrystals at a level that destroys the encapsulation surrounding the chains of nanocrystals to which the energy is applied.

Articles comprises iron oxide colloidal nanocrystals arranged within chains, wherein the chains of nanocrystals are embedded within a material used to form the article or a transfer medium used to transfer a color to the article are described. The material or transfer medium includes elastic properties that allow the nanocrystals to display a temporary color determined by the strength of an external force applied to the article, and the material or transfer medium includes memory properties that cause the displayed temporary color to dissipate when the external force is removed, wherein the dissipation of the displayed temporary color is sufficiently slow as to be visually observable by an average observer's unaided eye.

The disclosed technology generally relates to methods for forming coatings on metal substrates to promote adhesion between the metal substrate and an elastomer layer. In one aspect, a method of forming the coated article includes providing a meal substrate, preparing a sol mixture for forming a ceramic coating, depositing the sol mixture onto a surface of the metal substrate, and then heating the metal substrate and sol mixture to form the ceramic coating. Preparing the sol mixture comprises preparing a first transition metal sol, a second transition metal sol, a metalloid sol, and then mixing the first transition metal sol, the second transition metal sol, and the metalloid sol together.