Disclosed in certain embodiments are polymer compositions comprising closed-cell metal oxide particles and methods of preparing the same. In at least one embodiment, a closed-cell metal oxide particle comprises a metal oxide matrix defining an array of closed-cells. Each closed-cell encapsulates a media-inaccessible void volume. The outer surface of the closed-cell metal oxide particle is defined by the array of closed-cells.

An electrophoretic medium comprises a plurality of a first type of charged particles in a non-polar liquid. Each of the plurality of the first type of charged particles has a core and a shell. The core comprises an organic pigment and a graphene oxide layer. The shell comprises an organosilane layer and a polymeric layer. The electrophoretic medium may be incorporated in a color electrophoretic device to improve its electro-optic performance.

The present invention provides fluid compositions comprising at least one hydrophobic liquid, at least one inorganic pigment, and at least one compatibilization agent comprising at least one phosphate monoester.

An infrared absorbing composite fine particles whose surfaces are coated with a coating film containing one or more selected from a hydrolysis product of a metal chelate compound, a polymer of the hydrolysis product of the metal chelate compound, a hydrolysis product of a metal cyclic oligomer compound, and a polymer of the hydrolysis product of the metal cyclic oligomer compound, wherein a silicon compound is present in one or more locations selected from within the coating film, on the coating film, and the vicinity of surfaces of the infrared absorbing composite fine particles.

Provided are surface-treated fine particles which, when added to coatings for the production of films, exhibit excellent reactivity with respect to organosilicon compounds and resins that are matrix components of the coating films, and thereby allow the films to exhibit excellent performance. Oligomer-modified fine particles include inorganic oxide fine particles having a surface modified with an oligomer, the oligomer being derived from a metal alkoxide represented by Formula (1): R.sub.nM.sub.1(OR).sub.z-n (1) wherein M.sub.1: one or more elements selected from Si, Ti, Zr and Al; R and R: one or more groups selected from alkyl groups of 1 to 8 carbon atoms, aryl groups and vinyl groups; n: an integer of from 0 to (z2); and z: the valence of M.sub.1. The oligomer has a polymerization degree of 3 or more. The oligomer has a weight average molecular weight in the range of 1000 to 10000.

A method produces transparent ceramics having high transmittance and no bubble defects with uniform insertion loss over the entire inner surface thereof. The method comprising the steps of: obtaining a candidate composition containing a binder, optionally a dispersant, and optionally a plasticizer; dissolving the candidate composition in a solvent, then reducing a contained solvent volume to 0.1% by mass or less, and measuring a glass transition temperature; selecting a candidate composition having a glass transition temperature of 25 C. or more and 60 C. or less as an organic additive composition; preparing the organic additive composition containing the binder, optionally the dispersant, and the plasticizer, and having the composition obtained in the selecting step; pulverizing a raw material for sintering formed from metal oxide powder and the organic additive composition to obtain a pulverized mixture; granulating the pulverized mixture; sintering the granulated mixture to obtain a sintered body; and pressurizing the sintered body.

The present invention refers to a process for producing white UV-absorbing surface-reacted calcium carbonate doped with a titanium species, comprising the steps of providing a calcium carbonate-comprising material, a calcium phosphate selected from monocalcium phosphate and/or dicalcium phosphate, and at least one titanium comprising substance, treating the calcium carbonate-comprising material with the calcium phosphate in an aqueous medium to form an aqueous suspension and grinding the aqueous suspension at a pH value of at least 4.2 to form an aqueous suspension of surface-reacted calcium carbonate, wherein the calcium carbonate-comprising material and the calcium phosphate in combination have a calcium ion to phosphate ion molar ratio (Ca.sup.2+:PO.sub.4.sup.3) in the range from 1.75:1 to 100:1, and wherein the at least one titanium comprising substance is added before and/or during and/or after the treatment step and/or before and/or during the grinding step.

An object is to provide a production method that is a method for producing a spherical particle material by a melting method and that makes a melting spheroidization ratio higher than the conventional method. A production method for a spherical particle material of the present disclosure achieving the above object includes: a raw particle material preparation step of preparing a raw particle material composed of an inorganic material; and a spheroidization step of feeding the raw particle material into a high-temperature atmosphere to melt the raw particle material and then rapidly cooling the raw particle material to prepare a spherical particle material having a volume average particle diameter of 1 m or more and less than 10 m, and a powder compressibility evaluation FF value, by a powder rheometer, of the raw particle material is 2.0 or more.

In a zinc oxide powder, a BET specific surface area is equal to or more than 1.5 m.sup.2/g and less than 8 m.sup.2/g, an apparent specific volume by a loose packing method is equal to or more than 0.8 mL/g and equal to or less than 4.0 mL/g, and a value (the apparent specific volume by the loose packing method/an apparent specific volume by a tapping method) obtained by dividing the apparent specific volume (mL/g) by the loose packing method by the apparent specific volume (mL/g) by the tapping method, is equal to or more than 1.50 and equal to or less than 2.50.

The present disclosure is generally directed to nanoparticle-containing media exhibiting enhanced optical transparency, related nanoparticles, and associated systems and methods. In certain embodiments, the refractive index (RI) of a nanoparticle comprising thermochromic material (such as VO2) can be made closer to the refractive index of a surrounding medium by tethering a material (such as a gradient copolymer) to the core region of the nanoparticle to modify the refractive index of the nanoparticle. Modifying the refractive index of the nanoparticle to be closer to the refractive index of the medium that contains the nanoparticle can render the nanoparticle-containing medium (also referred, to herein as a composite) more transparent to various wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation while imparting thermochromic properties to the nanoparticle-containing medium.