The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of an aqueous suspension comprising at least one calcium carbonate-comprising material, the calcium carbonate-comprising material having a ratio of particles having an average particle size d.sub.80 value to particles having an average particle size d.sub.20 value [d.sub.80/d.sub.20] in the range from 1.5 to 4 and the use of the calcium carbonate-comprising material in paper and board applications, in cosmetics, in caulks and sealants, in adhesives, in paints and coatings, in fibre applications, in plastics applications or for the replacement of PCC in general.

A paint composition of the present invention contains an aluminum pigment and a mica pigment. The content of the aluminum pigment is equal to or higher than the content of the mica pigment. The aluminum pigment has a specific surface area, determined by the BET method, of not more than 55000 cm.sup.2/g, an average thickness of not less than 0.3 μm, and an aspect ratio of not more than 50.

High SRI cementitious systems comprising integral concrete coloring admixtures, toppings, dry-shake hardeners, and other cementitious systems are provided. The high-SRI cementitious systems comprise one or more IR reflective pigments and other components to make-up the cementitious system, depending on the application. The high-SRI cementitious systems of the invention may be in the form of mixtures which increase the total solar reflectivity (TSR or albedo) and the Solar Reflectance Index (SRI) of concrete. The high-SRI cementitious systems may be toppings mixed with water for application to existing concrete surfaces, dry-shake hardeners for application to freshly-placed plastic concrete, or the IR reflective pigments may be mixed into integrally colored concrete in various forms, such as conventional cast-in-place concrete, lightweight concrete, pervious concrete and concrete building panels, pavers or masonry units.

A composite oxide black pigment has characteristics to absorb visible rays and near infrared rays, and is composed of an oxide of main constituent metals including copper, manganese and iron. In a wavelength region of 400 to 1,000 nm, the composite oxide black pigment has a minimum wavelength, at which a transmittance becomes minimum, in a wavelength region of 600 to 800 nm, a molar ratio of manganese/iron is 3/1 to 30/1, and a molar ratio of copper/(manganese+iron) is 1/2 to 1.2/2. Its sole use makes it possible to obtain a transparent vivid bluish, neutral gray color, and also to maximize an absorption in a near infrared region. It is, therefore, excellent in near infrared absorption characteristics.

The present invention relates to surface-mineralized organic fibers comprising organic fibers having a length in the millimeter range, the surface of which is at least partially coated with finely divided alkaline earth carbonate nanoparticles by means of binders based on copolymers comprising as monomers one or more dicarboxylic acids and one or more monomers from the group of diamines, triamines, dialkanolamines or trialkanolamines and epichlorohydrin, a method for producing such surface-mineralized organic fibers, aqueous slurries thereof, their use in papermaking, in surface finishing of paper, plastic, cement and clay surfaces, in paints and varnishes and the use of the inventive binders for coating the organic fibers with nano alkaline earth carbonates.

To provide a heat-ray shielding film and a method for manufacturing the same, capable of exhibiting excellent optical characteristics and high weather resistance, mainly composed of polyvinyl acetal resin and using composite tungsten oxide fine particles with high heat-ray shielding effect, the method comprising: a first step of obtaining a dispersion liquid by dispersing composite tungsten oxide fine particles expressed by a general formula MyWOz and having a hexagonal crystal structure, and dispersing a dispersant into an organic solvent with a boiling point of 120 deg C. or less; a second step of obtaining a mixture by mixing metal carboxylate into the dispersion liquid obtained by the first step; and a third step of drying the mixture obtained by the second step to thereby obtain a heat-ray shielding fine particle-containing composition, and setting a content of the organic solvent remained in the heat-ray shielding fine particle-containing composition to 5 mass % or less.

There is disclosed a functional lamellar particle including an unconverted portion of the lamellar particle, wherein the unconverted portion includes a first metal, a converted portion of the lamellar particle disposed external to a surface of the unconverted portion, wherein the converted portion includes a chemical compound of the first metal; and a functional coating disposed external to a surface of the converted portion.

The present invention provides a method that enables production of a surface-treated colored inorganic particle with which the desired color tone can be consistently reproduced as intended with no variation occurring in the color tone of the compositions produced with the particle, within each production and over multiple production runs. The invention relates to a method for producing a surface-treated colored inorganic particle, comprising spray drying a mixture of a dispersion [I] and a solution [II], wherein the dispersion [I] is a dispersion of inorganic particles having an average particle diameter of 0.005 to 5 μm dispersed in a solvent with a pigment, and the solution [II] is a solution of a surface treatment agent hydrolyzed in the presence of a hydrolysis aid.

A titanium oxide powder of the present invention has a BET specific surface area of 5 m.sup.2/g or higher and 15 m.sup.2/g or lower and contains single-crystalline titanium oxide particles, in which a value (d10/d50) that is obtained by dividing a value (d10), which is obtained when a particle size distribution represented by a cumulative volume percentage of primary particle diameters of the titanium oxide particles is 10%, by a value (d50), which is obtained when a particle size distribution represented by a cumulative volume percentage thereof is 50%, is 0.3 or higher and 1 or lower, an amount of titanium oxide thereof is 99.0% by mass or more, and the titanium oxide powder has an anatase-type crystalline phase.

A new material efficiently attenuating transmission of near-infrared light is provided. A provided near-infrared-shielding material includes a plurality of flaky particles, wherein each of the plurality of flaky particles includes a flaky substrate and a single-layer film formed on a principal surface of the flaky substrate, and the near-infrared-shielding material has a light reflectance of 40% or more between wavelengths of 800 nm and 1400 nm. The flaky substrate is, for example, a glass flake. The glass flake has an average thickness of, for example, 0.6 pm or less. The single-layer film includes, for example, titanium oxide and has an average thickness of, for example, 80 nm to 165 nm.