Novel reaction media for electron donating and electron accepting components in colour-change compositions are described. The compound is of formula (I):

##STR00001## wherein R.sub.1, and R.sub.2 are selected from a linear or branched alkyl group, alkenyl group, alkoxy group, aryl group and an alkylene aryl group having from 6 to 22 carbon atoms; X.sub.1 and X.sub.2 are selected from —OC(O)-, —CO.sub.2- and O; R.sub.3, R.sub.4 and R.sub.5 are selected from hydrogen and an linear or branched alkyl group, cycloalkyl group, alkenyl group, alkoxy group, aryl and alkylene aryl group; R.sub.6 is selected from hydrogen, R.sub.3, —X.sub.1R.sub.1 and aryl and halogen; Y.sub.1 Y.sub.2 Y.sub.3 and Y.sub.4 are selected from hydrogen, R.sub.3, —OR.sub.3 and halogen; a is 0 to 4; b is 0 or 1; x and y are independently is 0 or 1 provided that where x and y are 0, a is 0 and b is 1 and R.sub.6 is —CO.sub.2R.sub.1; and wherein when a is 0 and b is 1 and R.sub.5 or R.sub.6 is phenyl, R.sub.6 and R.sub.5 respectively are not hydrogen or C.sub.1-7 alkyl. The compounds are useful in ink compositions, writing implements containing the compound and medical and industrial applications in which temperature sensitive colour change may be required.

A coating composition includes: (i) a film-forming resin; (ii) an infrared reflective pigment; and (iii) an infrared fluorescent pigment or dye different from the infrared reflective pigment. A multi-layer coating including the coating composition, and a substrate at least partially coated with the coating composition is also disclosed. A method of detecting an article at least partially coated with the coating composition is also disclosed.

A composite, comprising a substrate with two surfaces, and a dried or cured coating over at least a portion of one surface of the substrate, where the coating comprises a mixture of a polymeric binder and particles comprising at least one of: colored particles, reflective particles, and diffractive particles.

A method of coating a roofing material is described. The method comprises providing an aqueous roof coating composition comprising an inorganic binder material, a chemical curing agent, inorganic particulate filler; applying the aqueous roof coating composition to an inorganic roofing material; and allowing the aqueous roof coating composition to dry and chemically curing agent. The roof coating composition has a total solar reflectance of at least 0.7 after allowing the aqueous roof coating composition to dry and chemically cure. Also described are aqueous roof coating compositions and inorganic (e.g. roofing) materials comprising a surface coating having a total solar reflectance of at least 0.7; wherein the surface coating comprises silicate, a chemical curing agent; and inorganic particulate filler.

A method for manufacturing platelet-shaped effect pigments includes the steps of a) providing a carrier substrate; b) applying aqueous washing ink droplets to the carrier substrate in first regions forming a first motif; c) applying a reflective coating to the carrier substrate such that a reflective coating is deposited on the carrier substrate in the form of a regular contiguous grid in second regions forming a second motif outside the first regions forming the first motif, wherein the first regions form the first motif and have the washing ink droplets form regular islands within the regular contiguous grid, and a reflective coating is deposited above the washing ink droplets in the first regions forming the first motif; and d) removing the washing ink droplets in the first regions together with the reflective coating present thereon and isolating the removed reflective coating in the form of platelet-shaped effect pigments.

Disclosed herein are methods and systems for enhancing road markings using Infrared (IR) retroreflective spherical elements, comprising immersing a plurality of IR retroreflective spherical elements in one or more paint materials to produce a composition applied to paint road markings on one or more surfaces of one or more road segments. Each of the plurality of IR retroreflective spherical elements is at least partially transparent in visible light spectral range and in one or more infrared spectral ranges and is at least partially coated with one or more IR reflective materials characterized by (1) reflecting more than a first value of light in the one or more infrared spectral ranges, and (2) transferring more than a second value of light in the visible light spectral range. The painted road markings expressing driving information relating to the one or more road segments.

The present invention relates to a compound of the following formula (I): ##STR00001## The invention also relates to uses thereof as dye or pigment, notably as a luster pigment. The invention relates also to a reflective or photonic or nanophotonic or optoelectronic device comprising a compound of the invention. The invention relates also to a metal-like reflective coating, a metal-like particle or an organic-based metal-like liquid film comprising a compound of the invention.

Novel reaction media for electron donating and electron accepting components in colour-change compositions are described. The compound is of formula (I): wherein R.sub.1, and R.sub.2 are selected from a linear or branched alkyl group, alkenyl group, alkoxy group, aryl group and an alkylene aryl group having from 6 to 22 carbon atoms; X.sub.1 and X.sub.2 are selected from —OC(O)—, —CO.sub.2— and O; R.sub.3, R.sub.4 and R.sub.5 are selected from hydrogen and an linear or branched alkyl group, cycloalkyl group, alkenyl group, alkoxy group, aryl and alkylene aryl group; R.sub.6 is selected from hydrogen, R.sub.3, —X.sub.1R.sub.1 and aryl and halogen; Y.sub.1 Y.sub.2 Y.sub.3 and Y.sub.4 are selected from hydrogen, R.sub.3, —OR.sub.3 and halogen; a is 0 to 4; b is 0 or 1; x and y are independently is 0 or 1 provided that where x and y are 0, a is 0 and b is 1 and R.sub.6 is —CO.sub.2R.sub.1; and wherein when a is 0 and b is 1 and R.sub.5 or R.sub.6 is phenyl, R.sub.6 and R.sub.5 respectively are not hydrogen or C.sub.1-7alkyl. The compounds are useful in ink compositions, writing implements containing the compound and medical and industrial applications in which temperature sensitive colour change may be required. ##STR00001##

This invention provides resin formulations which may be used for 3D printing and pyrolyzing to produce a ceramic matrix composite. The resin formulations contain a solid-phase filler, to provide high thermal stability and mechanical strength (e.g., fracture toughness) in the final ceramic material. The invention provides direct, free-form 3D printing of a preceramic polymer loaded with a solid-phase filler, followed by converting the preceramic polymer to a 3D-printed ceramic matrix composite with potentially complex 3D shapes or in the form of large parts. Other variations provide active solid-phase functional additives as solid-phase fillers, to perform or enhance at least one chemical, physical, mechanical, or electrical function within the ceramic structure as it is being formed as well as in the final structure. Solid-phase functional additives actively improve the final ceramic structure through one or more changes actively induced by the additives during pyrolysis or other thermal treatment.

The present invention relates to an anti-reflective film exhibiting one or more peaks (q.sub.max) at a scattering vector of 0.0758 to 0.1256 nm.sup.−1, in a graph showing a log value of scattering intensity to a scattering vector defined in small-angle X-ray scattering.