The invention relates to a conductive elastomer provided and formed from a base elastomer and conductive solid particles that are distributed therein. The conductive particles used are: a) platelet-shaped conductive particles and/or b) dendritic conductive particles and/or c) other elongated conductive particles with a length:width ratio of greater than or equal to two. It has been seen that a combination of ball-shaped and platelet-shaped conductive particles is particularly advantageous. The particles can additionally be aligned by the pouring, application using a doctor blade, or drawing of the dissolved or not-yet cured mixture. The polymer is particularly suitable for medical electrodes for capturing and emitting signals. The material rennulus elastic, and conductive when stretched or bent.

Disclosed are an effect pigment that realizes substantially the same color at different view angles and a method for preparing the same. The effect includes a platelet-shaped substrate; and a pigment particle layer composed of pigment particles attached to at least a portion of a surface of the platelet-shaped substrate, wherein the pigment particles of the pigment particle layer are discontinuously positioned on the surface of the platelet-shaped substrate in an island manner.

The present invention relates to a method for preparing pearlescent pigment through metal oxide coating based on a sheet-like substrate, and the obtained pearlescent pigment. The present invention further relates to a method for preparing pearlescent pigment through coating a sheet-like substrate by hydrolyzing metal salt under an acid condition, wherein a pH value is adjusted by using inorganics such as MgO, MgOH or CaCO.sub.3 that does not dissolve in water but can dissolve through reacting with an acid. According to the method, no free metal oxide is generated when the metal salt is hydrolyzed, so that the production cost is reduced, product quality is improved, problems possibly generated in an application process of the product are avoided, and a production process is more environment-friendly.

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.

A coating composition includes a binder component (A), a flake-like aluminum pigment (B) having an average particle diameter (d50) of 18 m to 25 m, and a flake-like pigment (C) being a flake-like pigment other than flake-like aluminum pigments and having an average particle diameter (d50) of 8 m to 30 m. A content of the flake-like aluminum pigment (B) is 10 parts by mass to 50 parts by mass and a content of the flake-like pigment (C) is 0.5 parts by mass to 10 parts by mass, based on 100 parts by mass of the binder component (A). A content ratio (B)/(C) of the flake-like aluminum pigment (B) to the flake-like pigment (C) is 2/1 to 50/1 in terms of a solid content mass ratio.

Pearlescent pigments with a superior flip flop effect which are based on defined Al.sub.2O.sub.3 flakes and the use thereof in paints, industrial coatings, automotive coatings, printing inks, cosmetic formulations and in particular as transparent substrate for effect pigments.

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 m or less. The single-layer film includes, for example, titanium oxide and has an average thickness of, for example, 80 nm to 165 nm.

The present invention relates to a pigment mixture based on spherical particles having a defined particle-size distribution, and to the use thereof in paints, coatings, printing inks, security printing inks, plastics, ceramic materials, glasses, in cosmetic formulations, as tracer, as filler and for the preparation of pigment preparations and dry preparations.

A coated pigment is used which includes a base of which at least the surface is composed of a light-transmitting material; and a magnetite layer coating the base, and having a crystal lattice constant of not less than 8.35 . At least one selected from the group consisting of silica, alumina, glass, mica and a resin is usable as the light-transmitting material.

Interference pigments based on SiO.sub.2 flakes coated with crystallites of alpha-Fe.sub.2O.sub.3. Also, a process for the preparation of interference pigments that comprise SiO.sub.2 flakes coated with a crystallite of alpha-Fe.sub.2O.sub.3, by a wet-chemical process in a fluidised bed, by a CVD process, by a PVD process, or by any combination of said processes. Also, the use of interference pigments based on SiO.sub.2 flakes coated with crystallites of alpha-Fe.sub.2O.sub.3, in particular in paints, coatings, industrial and automobile paints, ceramic materials, plastics and cosmetic formulations.