An opaque cover is provided for a capacitive sensor. The cover includes a transparent substrate, and at least one white coating layer including white pigments disposed over at least one portion of the transparent substrate. The cover also includes a non-conductive mirror structure disposed over the at least one white coating layer. The non-conductive mirror structure includes a number of first dielectric layers having a first refractive index interleaved with second dielectric layers having a second refractive index. The first and second dielectric layers have dielectric constants below a threshold.

Embodiments of an article including a substrate and a patterned coating are provided. In one or more embodiments, when a strain is applied to the article, the article exhibits a failure strain of 0.5% or greater. Patterned coating may include a particulate coating or may include a discontinuous coating. The patterned coating of some embodiments may cover about 20% to about 75% of the surface area of the substrate. Methods for forming such articles are also provided.

With an aim to provide a method for producing an oxide particle with controlled color characteristics and also provide an oxide particle with controlled color characteristics, the present invention provides a method for producing an oxide particle, wherein the color characteristics of the oxide particle are controlled by controlling a ratio of an M-OH bond between an element (M) and a hydroxide group (OH) or an M-OH bond/M-O bond ratio, where the element (M) is one element or plural different elements other than oxygen or hydrogen included in the oxide particle selected from metal oxide particles and semi-metal oxide particles. According to the present invention, by controlling the M-OH bond or the M-OH bond/M-O bond ratio of the metal oxide particle or the semi-metal oxide particle, the oxide particle with controlled color characteristics of any of reflectance, transmittance, molar absorption coefficient, hue, and saturation can be provided.

An infrared absorbing material fine particle dispersion liquid including infrared absorbing material fine particles and a solvent, the infrared absorbing material fine particles containing fine particles of composite tungsten oxide represented by a general formula MxWOy, the solvent containing water, wherein an absolute value of a zeta potential of the infrared absorbing material fine particle dispersion liquid is 5 mV or more and 100 mV or less.

A method for preparing a microstructure on the surface of glass by titanium oxide nanoparticle-assisted infrared nanosecond laser, including the following steps: (1) dropwise applying a titanium oxide nanoparticle hydrogel onto the surface of a glass sample; (2) pressing another piece of glass on the surface of the hydrogel, so the hydrogel is evenly distributed between the two pieces of glass, and allowing the two pieces of glass to stand horizontally for a period of time to air-dry the hydrogel; (3) separating the two pieces of glass to obtain a glass with a uniform titanium oxide nanoparticle coating; (4) forming a microstructure using an infrared nanosecond laser with a wavelength of 1064 nm; and (5) performing after-treatment, including ultrasonically cleaning the sample with acetone, absolute ethanol and deionized water respectively for 10 min to remove titanium oxide nanoparticles attached to the surface, to obtain a glass sample with the microstructure.

A window structure includes a metal layer that transmits microwave signals and reflects infrared signals. A microwave signal is a signal that has a frequency in the microwave spectrum of frequencies (a.k.a. the microwave frequency spectrum). The microwave frequency spectrum extends from 300 megahertz (MHz) to 300 gigahertz (GHz). An infrared signal is a signal that has a frequency in the infrared spectrum of frequencies (a.k.a. the infrared frequency spectrum, which extends from 300 GHz to 430 terahertz (THz)). The metal layer may be a discontinuous metal layer that's an electrically discontinuous metal layer and/or a physically discontinuous metal layer.

The present invention provides a layered coating adhered to a substrate surface which conforms to a surface topography defined by the anisotropic chain-like silica nanoparticles on the substrate. The layered coating comprises a layer of anisotropic chain-like silica nanoparticles. The anisotropic chain-like silica nanoparticles comprise linked arrays of silica net-negatively charged nanoparticles, each linked array having at least one linear dimension of about 100 nm to about 1200 nm and the anisotropic chain-like silica nanoparticles each have a diameter of about 20 nm to about 80 nm. The substrate surface comprises surface active moieties carrying a net positive charge and the chain-like anisotropic silica nanoparticles are held to the surface by electrostatic charge. Advantageously, the layered coatings are transparent and superhydrophobic. Also provided are articles containing these layered coatings.

A water container for purifying water. The water container includes an opening configured to receive water, a container body arranged to enclose the water and a water purifying unit configured to purify the water. The water purifying unit includes an at least partially transparent plate, which includes a coating of metal-oxide nanoparticles on a first side facing the container body, wherein the first side is configured to be in contact with the water, and an ultraviolet light module configured to radiate towards a second side of the at least partially transparent plate such that light from the ultraviolet light module at least partially passes through the at least partially transparent plate. Also, a method for purifying water within a water container.

A novel glass ceramic sheet intended in particular to be used as the surface of a furniture unit or as a worktop, the sheet including, at least in one of its faces, in particular its lower face, at least one connection element of a height less than or equal to 10 cm, the connection element including at least one part that is magnetized or at least one part made of a material capable of being attracted by a magnet. Furniture or a household equipment incorporating the glass ceramic sheet.

An architectural transparency includes a substrate; a first dielectric layer over at least a portion of the substrate, a first metallic layer over the first dielectric layer, a first primer layer over the first metallic layer, a second dielectric layer over the first primer layer, a second metallic layer over the second dielectric layer, a second primer layer over the second metallic layer, a third dielectric layer over the second primer layer, a third metallic layer over the third dielectric layer, a third primer layer over the third dielectric layer, and a fourth dielectric layer over the third primer layer. At least one of the metallic layers is a subcritical metallic layer.