The disclosure provides a metal surface protective layer and a preparation method thereof. The metal surface protective layer comprises an organic medium layer, a metal coating layer and a transparent powder layer from inside to outside, wherein the organic medium layer is formed by spraying organic medium powder onto the surface of metal to be treated, the metal coating layer is formed by performing magnetron sputtering PVD plating on the organic medium layer, the organic medium layer is subjected to surface activation and cleaning treatment before the magnetron sputtering PVD plating, and the transparent powder layer is formed by spraying transparent powder onto the metal coating layer.

Provided is a method for forming a multilayer coating film including the following steps (1) to (4): (1) applying a base paint (X) to a substrate to form a base coating film; (2) applying a specific effect pigment dispersion (Y) to the base coating film formed in step (1) to form an effect coating film with a specific dry film thickness; (3) applying a clear paint (Z) to the effect coating film formed in step (2) to form a clear coating film; and (4) heating the uncured base coating film, the uncured effect coating film, and the uncured clear coating film formed in steps (1) to (3) to simultaneously cure these three coating films.

The present invention provides a glitter pigment, including: a glass flake; a titanium oxide layer formed over the glass flake; and fine gold particles deposited on the titanium oxide layer, wherein the fine gold particles include fine gold particles P2 having a particle diameter of 20 nm or more and less than 50 nm, and in a square region 2 m on a side on a surface of the titanium oxide layer on which the fine gold particles are deposited, the number of the fine gold particles P2 is 9 or more and less than 100 and an average of distances between the fine gold particles P2 is 130 nm or more and less than 500 nm, each of the distances being a distance from one of the fine gold particles P2 to another fine gold particle P2 nearest to the one.

To provide a production method for obtaining a coated article provided with a coating film having excellent weather resistance by using a powder coating material. A method for producing a coated article, which comprises applying a powder coating material comprising a fluororesin (A), a non-fluororesin (B) and a metallic pigment (C) to the surface of a substrate, and heating the substrate having the powder coating material applied, to a temperature of at least the glass transition temperature of the fluororesin (A) and the non-fluororesin (B), followed by cooling, to form a coating film on the substrate surface, and which is characterized in that the content of the metallic pigment (C) is from 0.7 to 23 mass % to the total amount of the powder coating material, the PCI value of the coating film is at least 6, and the flip-flop value is at least 1.2.

The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of thin silver nano-particles containing layers, which are produced directly on a substrate as part of a coating or printing process. The layers can show different colours in transmittance and reflectance. The invention further relates to decorative and security elements. When the layers are applied over a security element, such as a hologram, the obtained products may show different colours in reflection and transmission, an extremely bright optically variable image (OVD image). Depending on the thickness of the layer a more or less intensive metallic aspect appears.

The invention provides a powder coating material capable of forming a film excellent in metallic hue, concealing property and weather resistance. The powder coating material comprises the following fluororesin (A), the following resin (B) and the following pigment (C) as constituents thereof, wherein the content of the pigment (C) is from 0.7 to 23 mass %; Fluororesin (A): a fluororesin having a fluorine content of at least 10 mass %; Resin (B): a resin having a SP value larger than that of the fluororesin (A), and the difference between the SP value thereof and the SP value of the fluororesin (A) is at least 0.4 (J/cm.sup.3).sup.1/2; Pigment (C): a pigment which is a metallic pigment covered with a covering material, and the SP value of the covering material exceeds the SP value of the fluororesin (A) and less than the SP value of the resin (B).

Provided is a method for forming a multilayer coating film, comprising simultaneously curing an uncured base coating film, an uncured effect coating film, and an uncured clear coating film. In this method, an effect pigment dispersion (Y) contains water, a rheology control agent (A), and a flake-effect pigment (B), and has a solids content of 0.5 to 10 mass %; the flake-effect pigment (B) is an interference pigment in which a transparent or translucent base material is coated with a metal oxide; and the flake-effect pigment (B) is contained in an amount of 30 to 90 parts by mass based on 100 parts by mass of the total solids content in the effect pigment dispersion (Y).

A multilayer coating obtained by carrying out the steps of (1) applying a ZnNi layer to a substrate material, in particular to a steel; (2) carrying out a first heat treatment in a temperature range from 135-300 C., preferably from 185-220 C., for a time period of at least 4 hours, preferentially of at least 23 hours; (3) applying a metal-pigmented top coat to the ZnNi layer; and (4) carrying out a second heat treatment in a temperature range from 150-250 C., preferably from 180-200 C., for a time period of at least 10 minutes, prefer-ably of at least 20 minutes, preferentially of at least 30 minutes.

A multilayered body includes a base material with a metal tone glossy layer having metal tone glossiness, and a color layer layered on the metal tone glossy layer. The color layer has an arithmetic mean height and a transmission density located in a region below a straight line represented as (y=0.1067x+0.8) on coordinates of the arithmetic mean height x and the transmission density y.

A surface decoration structure includes an undercoat film, a silver mirror film layer, and a topcoat film formed on a surface of a substrate. The silver mirror film layer includes a film of stacked nanometer-sized silver particles having surfaces coated with a polymer dispersing agent, and the topcoat film includes, as a solvent, at least one member selected from the group consisting of an aliphatic hydrocarbon compound, an aliphatic hydrocarbon compound solution including 10% by mass or less of an aromatic compound, and diisobutyl ketone. The undercoat film and/or the topcoat film may include a corrosion inhibitor. The silver mirror film layer may further include a corrosion inhibitor. The surface decoration structure includes the silver mirror film layer with improved luster and corrosion resistance.