Provided is a kaolin having a finer particle size and a narrower particle size distribution, in combination with suitable morphology. Also provided are a method of preparing the kaolin product and methods of use.

The present invention refers to a process for the preparation of a surface-treated magnesium hydroxide-comprising material, a surface-treated magnesium hydroxide-comprising material as well as the use of the surface-treated magnesium hydroxide-comprising material in polymer composition, in paper making, paper coatings, agricultural applications, paints, adhesives, sealants, composite materials, wood composite materials, construction applications, pharma applications and/or cosmetic applications as well as surrounding materials, wherein the surface treatment agent of the surface-treated magnesium hydroxide-comprising material is undergoing a reaction with the surrounding material.

A reflective particulate material includes a particulate substrate having high total solar reflectance, bulk and apparent densities and toughness, and a low dust index. The reflective particulate can have a total solar reflectance of 80% to 87%, a toughness of 1% or fewer fines, an apparent density of 2.75 g/cm.sup.3 or greater, and a dust index of 1 or lower. A method of manufacturing the reflective particulate material includes preparing a slurry of the particulate substrate, spray drying the slurry to form a spray dried particulate, crushing the spray dried particulate to form a crushed particulate, and heating/calcining the crushed particulate. The heated, crushed particulate may further be coated to form a coated roofing granule.

In order to provide a filler composition for fabricating a high-performance filler achieving good productivity while preventing worsening of a working environment and production of a VOC and to provide a filler and a method for producing the filler, a filler composition of the present invention contains wet silica, a polyoxyethylene unsaturated fatty acid ester, and a sulfur-containing silane coupling agent.

An aluminum nitride granular powder is constituted by aluminum nitride sintered granules, the aluminum nitride granular powder having a maximum peak diameter of 30 m to 200 m in a volume-based particle diameter distribution obtained from maximum lengths of the aluminum nitride sintered granules measured with use of a dry particle image analyzer, with regard to the aluminum nitride sintered granules each of which has a particle diameter of not less than 30% of the maximum peak diameter, a ratio of the number of particles having an HS roundness value of 0.5 to 0.8 as measured with use of the dry particle image analyzer being not less than 15% relative to the aluminum nitride sintered granules each having the particle diameter.

The present invention relates to pearlescent pigments, to a process of manufacturing such pearlescent pigments based on a wet oxidation step as well as to the use of such pearlescent pigments.

Thermoelectric (TE) nanocomposite material that includes at least one component consisting of nanocrystals. A TE nanocomposite material in accordance with the present invention can include, but is not limited to, multiple nanocrystalline structures, nanocrystal networks or partial networks, or multi-component materials, with some components forming connected interpenetrating networks including nanocrystalline networks. The TE nanocomposite material can be in the form of a bulk solid having semiconductor nanocrystallites that form an electrically conductive network within the material. In other embodiments, the TE nanocomposite material can be a nanocomposite thermoelectric material having one network of p-type or n-type semiconductor domains and a low thermal conductivity semiconductor or dielectric network or domains separating the p-type or n-type domains that provides efficient phonon scattering to reduce thermal conductivity while maintaining the electrical properties of the p-type or n-type semiconductor.

The invention relates to ceramic colours comprising effect pigments and a sol-gel based glassy matrix for decoration of metallic, ceramic and glassy articles and to a process for the preparation of a ceramic glaze.

The present invention provides a method that enables production of a surface-treated colored inorganic particle with which the desired color tone can be consistently reproduced as intended with no variation occurring in the color tone of the compositions produced with the particle, within each production and over multiple production runs. The invention relates to a method for producing a surface-treated colored inorganic particle, comprising spray drying a mixture of a dispersion [I] and a solution [II], wherein the dispersion [I] is a dispersion of inorganic particles having an average particle diameter of 0.005 to 5 m dispersed in a solvent with a pigment, and the solution [II] is a solution of a surface treatment agent hydrolyzed in the presence of a hydrolysis aid.

A reflective particulate material includes a particulate substrate having high total solar reflectance, bulk and apparent densities and toughness, and a low dust index. The reflective particulate can have a total solar reflectance of 80% to 87%, a toughness of 1% or fewer fines, an apparent density of 2.75 g/cm.sup.3 or greater, and a dust index of 1 or lower. A method of manufacturing the reflective particulate material includes preparing a slurry of the particulate substrate, spray drying the slurry to form a spray dried particulate, crushing the spray dried particulate to form a crushed particulate, and heating/calcining the crushed particulate. The heated, crushed particulate may further be coated to form a coated roofing granule.