A particle including a core particle; and a vapor deposited colorant including an organic colored material that encapsulates the core particle. The particle can be a special effect pigment or a thin film interference pigment. Methods of making the particle are also disclosed.

A color metallic pigment according to the present invention contains at least a metallic pigment, an amorphous silicon oxide film layer that is formed on the surface of the metallic pigment, a metal oxide layer that is formed on the surface of the amorphous silicon oxide film layer and contains a metal oxide other than silicon oxide, and metal particles that are formed on the surface of the metal oxide layer, wherein the metal particles are so formed as to directly cover a part of the metal oxide layer.

The present invention relates to semitransparent pearlescent pigments, to processes for producing them, and to the use of such pearlescent pigments, where the pearlescent pigments comprise monolithically constructed substrate platelets composed of a metal oxide having an average thickness of 1 to 40 nm and a form factor, expressed by the ratio of the mean size to the average thickness, of at least 80, which are enveloped by at least one substantially transparent coating A composed of at least one low-index metal oxide and/or metal oxide hydrate, having a refractive index of less than 1.8, and at least one interference layer in the form of a coating B composed of at least one high-index metal oxide, having a refractive index of at least 1.8.

Metallic coatings containing metallic flakes with optical coatings are provided. The metallic flakes can be coated with multiple optical layers or a photonic crystal layer. The metallic flakes can also be coated with a pigment layer.

A pigment mixture comprising at least two or three interference pigments of different interference colours selected from the colours red, green and blue, suitable for use in paints, coatings, printing inks, security printing inks, plastics, ceramic materials, glasses and in the preparation of pigment preparations, dry preparations and in particular cosmetic formulations.

Microstructured pigments include a dielectric core having a diffraction grating. The microstructured dielectric core is encapsulated with one or more encapsulation layers which are deposited using chemical vapor deposition in a fluidized bed. The fluidizing conditions allow for providing uniform and highly-conforming encapsulation layers.

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 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.

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

A process for the production of flake-form, crystalline particles having an aurivillius structure, the use thereof as effect pigments or as substrates of effect pigments, furthermore, effect pigments which contain coated or uncoated flake-form, crystalline particles having an aurivillius structure as substrates, and the use thereof in various products.