Disclosed herein is an effect pigment having a layer stack which comprises a highly reflective metallic flake having a first major interface and opposed to this first interface a second major interface, and at least one side surface and directly adjacent on one or of both of these major interfaces a layer of a semiconducting material having an average atomic composition of: a) Si.sub.(1-x)Sn.sub.x, wherein 0<x<0.90 or b) Ge.sub.(1-y)Sn.sub.y, wherein 0<y0.80 or c) Si.sub.(1-m-n)Ge.sub.mSn.sub.n, wherein 0<m<1.00, 0<n<1.00 and with the proviso that m+n<1.00.

The invention relates to anisotropic, reflective, magnetic flakes. In a liquid carrier and under influence of an external magnetic field, the flakes attract to one another side-by-side and form ribbons which provide higher reflectivity to a coating and may be used as a security feature for authentication of an object.

The present invention relates to an effect pigment comprising as a substrate a glass flake with a coating, said coating comprising at least one layer of at least one high refractive material, said material having a refractive index of at least 1.8, and/or at least one layer of at least one semitransparent metallic material, wherein said glass flakes comprising the following composition: 65-75 wt.-% silicon oxide, preferably SiO.sub.2 2-9 wt.-% aluminum oxide, preferably AI.sub.2O.sub.3 0.0-5 wt.-% calcium oxide, preferably CaO 5-12 wt.-% sodium oxide, preferably Na.sub.2O 8-15 wt.-% boron oxide, preferably B.sub.2O.sub.3 0.1-5 wt.-% titanium oxide, preferably TiO.sub.2 0.0-5 wt.-% zirconium oxide, preferably ZrO.sub.2 based on the weight of said glass flakes. The invention relates also to a method for producing the effect pigments as well as to the use of said effect pigments. The invention further relates to coating formulations based on the effect pigments.

The present invention provides an iron oxide-coated layered silicate pigment that has no interference color, strongly exhibits the color inherent in iron oxide, and is excellent in gloss. The pigment of the present invention is an iron oxide-coated layered silicate pigment comprising a layered-silicate plate particle as base, and an iron oxide coated on the plate particle; wherein the iron oxide does not coat the surface portion of the plate particle or the iron oxide is localized on the edge portion rather than the surface portion of the plate particle. As the iron oxide, at least one kind selected from black iron oxide (Fe.sub.3O.sub.4) and red iron oxide (Fe.sub.2O.sub.3) can be used preferably. As the layered silicate, a mica-group layered silicate can be used preferably. The iron oxide-coated layered silicate pigment of the present invention can be incorporated into cosmetic preferably.

The present invention relates to a process for preparing a coloured effect pigment, comprising the steps of (a) preparing in an aqueous coating medium at least one layer of a hydroxyl-containing metal oxide on a substrate, thereby obtaining in the aqueous coating medium a first coloured pigment material CPM1 comprising the substrate coated with the hydroxyl-containing metal oxide, wherein the substrate is made of aluminium or aluminium alloy which optionally comprises at least one passivating layer, and wherein the hydroxyl-containing metal oxide is a hydroxyl-containing iron oxide or a hydroxyl-containing titanium oxide or a mixture thereof, (b) providing the first coloured pigment material CPM1 in a liquid post-treatment medium comprising one or more high boiling organic liquids, and (c) heating the liquid post-treatment medium to a temperature of at least 90 C. so as to convert the first coloured pigment material CPM1 to a second coloured pigment material CPM2.

There is provided a three-dimensionally molded article colored as desired inside as well as on its outer surface. An ink for manufacturing a three-dimensionally molded article disclosed herein contains a plurality of different coloring components that differ in absolute refractive index. An outer surface of one of the coloring components is at least partly covered with another coloring component.

Frits or frit mixtures with pearlescent pigments for materials, such as ceramic glazes, which are stable above 1000 C.

A nanoparticle-containing solution comprising nanoparticles of a metal oxide, and a solution obtained by dissolving, in an organic solvent, a phosphoric acid ester and a reactive group-containing carbonyl compound as hydrophobic treatment agents, the phosphoric acid ester having an alkylene oxide chain, and an alkyl group or allyl group at an end, and the reactive group-containing carbonyl compound having at least a vinyl group and a carboxyl group or cyclic ester group, and having a solubility parameter calculated by Fedors' method of 10.0 to 12.5.

The present invention relates to pigments which comprise a substrate and an iron(II) silicate-containing coating applied thereto, to a process for the preparation of these pigments, and to the use thereof.

The present invention relates to a golden interference pigment which is suitable, in particular, for printing processes, to a process for the preparation of a pigment of this type, and to the use thereof.