An electrically conductive filler comprises particles having a base substrate and a conductive coating. In some embodiments, the base substrate is a metal, plastic, glass, natural or synthetic graphite, carbon, ceramics, fiber or fabric. In some embodiments, the coating provides improved electrical conductivity, and the coated particle has lower electrical resistance than the uncoated base particle. Other embodiments and methods of making and using the electrically conductive filler are also disclosed.

A cubic boron nitride particle population having highly-etched surfaces and a high toughness index is produced by blending a reactive metal powder with a plurality of cubic boron nitride particles to form a blended mixture. The blended mixture is compressed to form a compressed mixture. The compressed mixture is subjected to a temperature and a pressure, where the temperature is controlled to cause etching of the plurality of cubic boron nitride particles by reaction of cubic boron nitride with the reactive metal powder, thereby forming a plurality of etched cubic boron nitride particles. Also, the temperature and pressure are controlled to cause boron nitride to remain in a cubic boron nitride phase. Afterwards, the plurality of etched cubic boron nitride particles is recovered from the compressed mixture to form the particle population. Preferably, the particle population contains no hexagonal boron nitride.

A boron nitride powder includes boron nitride aggregated grains that are formed by aggregation of scaly hexagonal boron nitride primary particles, the boron nitride powder having the following characteristic properties (A) to (C): (A) the primary particles of the scaly hexagonal boron nitride have an average long side length of 1.5 m or more and 3.5 m or less and a standard deviation of 1.2 m or less; (B) the boron nitride aggregated grains have a grain strength of 8.0 MPa or more at a cumulative breakdown rate of 63.2% and a grain strength of 4.5 MPa or more at a cumulative breakdown rate of 20.0%; and (C) the boron nitride powder has an average particle diameter of 20 m or more and 100 m or less. Also provided are a method for producing the same and a thermally conductive resin composition including the same.

An electrically conductive filler comprises particles having a base substrate and a conductive coating. In some embodiments, the base substrate is a metal, plastic, glass, natural or synthetic graphite, carbon, ceramics, fiber or fabric. In some embodiments, the coating provides improved electrical conductivity, and the coated particle has lower electrical resistance than the uncoated base particle. Other embodiments and methods of making and using the electrically conductive filler are also disclosed.

A scattering particle includes a core and a shell, wherein the shell includes a first layer including a compound capable of reacting with oxygen and/or moisture, and a second layer including a compound decomposable by light and/or heat.

Hybrid particles having improved electrical conductivity and thermal and chemical stabilities are disclosed. The hybrid particles are for use in conductive pastes. The hybrid particles include a nanoparticle selected from a graphene-containing material, a dichalcogenide material, a conducting polymer, or a combination thereof encapsulated in a conducting metal. The hybrid particles include a nanoparticle selected from a graphene-containing material, a dichalcogenide material, or a combination thereof encapsulated in a conducting polymer, and optionally further in a conducting metal. Suitable conducting metals include nickel or silver. Suitable conducting polymers include polyaniline, polypyrrole, or polythiophene. Suitable dichalcogenide materials include MoS.sub.2 or MoSe.sub.2. The hybrid particles can further include a conducting polymer layer on an outer surface of the conducting metal. Methods of making the hybrid particles are also disclosed.

An optically responsive material including a composite matrix, and a plurality of colloidal nanowire geodes arranged within the composite matrix is disclosed. The optically responsive material has an optical resonance in at least one spectral region, such as in the ultraviolet spectral region, the infrared spectral region, the visible spectral region, or a combination thereof. The optically responsive material can include a composite matrix including a polymer, such as polyvinylidene fluoride. Each of the plurality of colloidal nanowire geodes further may include a hollow colloidal microsphere, and a nanowire coupled to an inner surface of the hollow colloidal microsphere. A method of fabricating optically responsive materials and a method of programming optically responsive materials is also described.

The present disclosure provides functionalized powder particles and methods of forming functionalized powder particles. The functionalization is acquired through the formation of primary and/or secondary structures on a powder particle. Functionalization can be controlled to bring about changes in a broad range of physical and/or chemical properties.

To provide an infrared-reflective pigment and infrared-reflective coating composition provided with both high infrared-light reflecting properties and high visible-light transparency. Provided is a flake-shaped infrared-reflective pigment, the infrared-reflective pigment 1 characterized by being provided with a layered body 13 having at least one metal thin-film layer 11 and at least two transparent dielectric layers 12, the film thickness of the dielectric layer 12 being (an integer multiple of /4n)10 nm, where is the wavelength of incident light in a visible-light peripheral region and n is the refractive index of the dielectric layer 12. Also provided is an infrared-reflective coating composition containing the infrared-reflective pigment 1.

A method for forming metal nanoparticles on halloysite nanotubes. The method provides a water-based suspension solution containing about 0.002% to about 0.1% by weight of halloysite nanotubes. The suspension solution is maintained between about 2 C. and about 98 C. and under sufficient mixing that the nanotubes are maintained in substantially constant suspension. At least one positive and at least one negative metal electrode is positioned in the suspension solution, wherein the metal electrodes are at least 98% pure metal. A voltage is maintained across the electrodes of between about 10 and about 300 volts for a time sufficient to form metal ions on at least about 10% of a surface of the halloysite nanotubes.