The present invention provides a glitter pigment, including: a glass flake; a titanium oxide layer formed over the glass flake; and fine gold particles deposited on the titanium oxide layer, wherein the fine gold particles include fine gold particles P2 having a particle diameter of 20 nm or more and less than 50 nm, and in a square region 2 μm on a side on a surface of the titanium oxide layer on which the fine gold particles are deposited, the number of the fine gold particles P2 is 9 or more and less than 100 and an average of distances between the fine gold particles P2 is 130 nm or more and less than 500 nm, each of the distances being a distance from one of the fine gold particles P2 to another fine gold particle P2 nearest to the one.

An article includes a reflector having a first surface, a second surface opposite the first surface, and a third surface; and a first selective light modulator layer external to the first surface of the reflector; wherein the third surface of the reflector is open. A method of making an article is also disclosed.

The invention relates to coated effect pigments, wherein the coating comprises a binder which is suitable for powder paints. They comprise a crystalline and an amorphous fraction which is determined by C.sup.13 NMR MAS relaxation measurements, the relaxation of the .sup.13C cores being fitted as a biexponential relaxation according to the formula (II) and the degree of crystallinity c being in a range between 40 to 85%, and relaxation having a short average relaxation time T.sub.1.sup.s and a long average relaxation time T.sub.1.sup.l, and T.sub.1.sup.l being in a range of from 65 to 130 s. The effect pigments coated according to the invention have at least one endothermic peak with a maximum from a range of T.sub.max=100 to 150° C. and an enthalpy ΔH associated with said peak from a range of 15 J/g to 80 J/g in DSC at a feed speed of 5° C./min, the enthalpy being calculated relative to the amount of the binder. The binders are applied to the effect pigment by way of spontaneous precipitation.

A method of making pigments, such as special effect pigment includes forming a first slurry including a substrate, a polymer precursor, and a radical initiator; forming a solution including an emulsifier; and combining the first slurry and the solution so that the substrate is encapsulated by a first coating. Special effect pigments formed by the method are also disclosed.

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 Å. At least one selected from the group consisting of silica, alumina, glass, mica and a resin is usable as the light-transmitting material.

Pearlescent pigments including a largely transparent platelet-shaped substrate having a density ρ.sub.S and at least one optically active coating having a density ρ.sub.M, the substrate having an average size d.sub.50 of 3 to 8 μm and an average height h.sub.S of 40 to 110 nm. The disclosure further relates to a method for producing the pearlescent pigments, and also to the use thereof.

Disclosed a method of preparing composite particles comprising a non-porous spherical particulate inorganic material deposited on a plate-like inorganic material, where refractive index of said particulate inorganic material is greater than that of said plate-like inorganic particulate material, wherein, said spherical material occupies 20 to 80% of total surface area of said plate-like material and wherein the amount of said spherical material accounts for 2 to 20 wt % of said composite particles, further wherein said plate-like inorganic material is mica and said non-porous spherical particulate inorganic material is silicone dioxide, said method comprising the steps of: (iv) silanization of said plate-like inorganic material to get a silanized material having functional groups “A”; (v) silanization of said non-porous spherical particulate inorganic material to get a silanized material having functional groups “B”, where A≠B; and where said “A” and said “B” are capable of reacting with each other such that by way of their reaction, said non-porous spherical particulate inorganic material deposits on said plate-like inorganic material; and, (vi) reacting said silanized material having functional groups “A” with said silanized material having functional groups “B”.

A blended composition containing uncoated Al.sub.2O.sub.3 flakes having a thickness of ≥500 nm and a D.sub.50-value of 15-30 μm and a D.sub.90-value of 30-45 μm, and/or coated Al.sub.2O.sub.3 flakes having a thickness of ≥500 nm and a D.sub.50-value of 15-30 μm and a D.sub.90-value of 30-45 μm, which have been coated with at least one layer of a metal oxide, mixtures of at least two metal oxides, metal, metal sulphide, titanium suboxide, titanium oxynitride, FeO(OH), metal alloys and/or rare earth compounds, and their use in various formulations.

Disclosed a method of preparing composite particles comprising a non-porous spherical particulate inorganic material deposited on a plate-like inorganic material, where refractive index of said particulate inorganic material is greater than that of said plate-like inorganic particulate material, wherein, said spherical material occupies 20 to 80% of total surface area of said plate-like material and wherein the amount of said spherical material accounts for 2 to 20 wt % of said composite particles, further wherein said plate-like inorganic material is mica and said non-porous spherical particulate inorganic material is silicone dioxide, said method comprising the steps of: (iv) silanization of said plate-like inorganic material to get a silanized material having functional groups “A”; (v) silanization of said non-porous spherical particulate inorganic material to get a silanized material having functional groups “B”, where A≠B; and where said “A” and said “B” are capable of reacting with each other such that by way of their reaction, said non-porous spherical particulate inorganic material deposits on said plate-like inorganic material; and, (vi) reacting said silanized material having functional groups “A” with said silanized material having functional groups “B”.

The present invention relates to effect pigments which are based on flake-form substrates having a circular form factor of 1.2-2 and are coated with at least one high-refractive-index layer, and to the use thereof, inter alia in paints, coatings, printing inks, plastics and in cosmetic formulations.