A low carbon footprint material is used to decrease the carbon dioxide emission for production of a high carbon footprint substance. A method of forming composite materials comprises providing a first high carbon footprint substance; providing a carbon nanomaterial produced with a carbon-footprint of less than 10 unit weight of carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2) emission during production of 1 unit weight of the carbon nanomaterial; and forming a composite comprising the high carbon footprint substance and from 0.001 wt % to 25 wt % of the carbon nanomaterial, wherein the carbon nanomaterial is homogeneously dispersed in the composite to reduce the carbon dioxide emission for producing the composite material relative to the high carbon footprint substance.

[Object] An object of the present invention is to provide a high-aspect-ratio plate-like alumina particle having low aggregability and high dispersibility and a method for producing the particle. [Solving Means] The above problem is solved by providing a plate-like alumina particle including a step of firing an aluminum compound in the presence of a shape-controlling agent and a molybdenum compound serving as a fluxing agent. The above problem is solved also by providing a method for producing a plate-like alumina particle, the method including a step in which the aluminum compound and the molybdenum compound react with each other to form aluminum molybdate and a step in which the aluminum molybdate is decomposed to obtain the plate-like alumina particle.

The present invention relates to a method of producing permanent magnets free of rare-earth metals. Specifically the type of magnets produced by the present invention are rare-earth free magnets based on iron. More specifically, the magnets of the present invention are of the class hexaferrites. The present invention further relates to magnets produced by the method of the invention, which are highly aligned magnets with improved magnetic properties compared to commercially available analogues.

A low carbon footprint material is used to decrease the carbon dioxide emission for production of a high carbon footprint substance. A method of forming composite materials comprises providing a first high carbon footprint substance; providing a carbon nanomaterial produced with a carbon-footprint of less than 10 unit weight of carbon dioxide (CO.sub.2) emission during production of 1 unit weight of the carbon nanomaterial; and forming a composite comprising the high carbon footprint substance and from 0.001 wt % to 25 wt % of the carbon nanomaterial, wherein the carbon nanomaterial is homogeneously dispersed in the composite to reduce the carbon dioxide emission for producing the composite material relative to the high carbon footprint substance.

Effect pigments based on Al.sub.2O.sub.3 flakes with high weather resistance and less photoactivity and to their use thereof in paints, industrial coatings, automotive coatings, printing inks, cosmetic formulations. The effect pigments have a ratio of the amount by weight of Al.sub.2O.sub.3 of the Al.sub.2O.sub.3 flake and the amount by weight of the metal oxide(s) of the coating layer(s) in the range of from 27:73 to 83:17 based on the total weight of the effect pigment.

The present invention provides a magnetic multilayer pigment flake and a magnetic coating composition that are relatively safe for human health and the environment. The pigment flake includes one or more magnetic layers of a magnetic alloy and one or more dielectric layers of a dielectric material. The magnetic alloy is an iron-chromium alloy or an iron-chromium-aluminum alloy, having a substantially nickel-free composition. The coating composition includes a plurality of the pigment flakes disposed in a binder medium.

A nano-composite structure. A synthetic nano-composite is described having a first component including a fibrous structured amorphous silica structure, and a second component including a precipitated calcium carbonate structure developed by pressure carbonation. The nano-composite may be useful for fillers in paints and coatings. Also, the nano-composite may be useful in coatings used in the manufacture of paper products.

Effect pigments based on Al.sub.2O.sub.3 flakes with high weather resistance and less photoactivity and to their use thereof in paints, industrial coatings, automotive coatings, printing inks, cosmetic formulations. The effect pigments have a ratio of the amount by weight of Al.sub.2O.sub.3 of the Al.sub.2O.sub.3 flake and the amount by weight of the metal oxide(s) of the coating layer(s) in the range of from 27:73 to 83:17 based on the total weight of the effect pigment.

Aluminium-containing iron oxide pigments of the formula Fe.sub.2-xAl.sub.xO.sub.3 with x values from 0.01 to 0.25, characterized in that they possess an a* value of 30.5 to 32.5 CIELAB units and a b* value of 25.5 to 30.5 CIELAB units, measured in each case as full shade in the alkyd resin according to DIN EN ISO 787-25:2007.

The present invention provides zinc oxide having excellent infrared blocking ability, high whiteness, and excellent texture during use. The present invention relates to trivalent metal-doped hexagonal plate-shaped zinc oxide having an aspect ratio of 2.5 or greater, the trivalent metal-doped hexagonal plate-shaped zinc oxide having a trivalent metal element content based on the zinc element of 0.15 to 5 mol %, a whiteness of 90 or higher, and a powder spectral reflectance at a wavelength of 1500 nm of 80% or less.