A multilayered interference pigment containing, in succession: a metal core in the form of a flake, the metal core containing a material selected from gold, silver, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, platinum, osmium, iridium and an alloy thereof; a first layer of transparent dielectric material; and a second discontinuous metal layer making it possible to both reflect a portion of the light beam and to transmit another portion of this beam onto the metal core.

The present invention relates to a particularly effective protective coating for metallic objects, the coating method, and the special applications thereof. The particularly high protective effect is achieved by the adaptation of the inorganic fraction and the organic polymer fraction of the coating to the specific surface of the object. Further adjustments of the coating can be used for further optimization, for example of the protection properties or other product properties.

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

A method for forming a multilayer thin film having a crystalline metal oxide layer, the method including: encapsulating at least one encapsulated layer of the multilayer thin film in a wet chemical composition by wet chemical methods; and crystallizing the wet chemical composition by microwave hydrothermal treatment to form a crystalline metal oxide layer encapsulating the at least one encapsulated layer of the multilayer thin film.

Effect pigments based on Al.sub.2O.sub.3 flakes with high weather resistance and less photoactivity and to their use thereof in paints, industrial coatings, automotive coatings, printing inks, cosmetic formulations. The effect pigments have a ratio of the amount by weight of Al.sub.2O.sub.3 of the Al.sub.2O.sub.3 flake and the amount by weight of the metal oxide(s) of the coating layer(s) in the range of from 27:73 to 83:17 based on the total weight of the effect pigment.

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

A multilayer thin film structure having a reflective core particle, a dielectric layer directly encapsulating the reflective core particle, an absorber layer directly encapsulating the dielectric layer; an outer layer encapsulating the absorber layer. The multilayer thin film structure has a hue shift of less than 30? in the Lab color space when viewed at angles from 0? to 45?.

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

The present invention relates to a particularly effective protective coating for metallic objects, the coating method, and the special applications thereof. The particularly high protective effect is achieved by the adaptation of the inorganic fraction and the organic polymer fraction of the coating to the specific surface of the object. Further adjustments of the coating can be used for further optimization, for example of the protection properties or other product properties.

Temperature-stable effect pigments based on multicoated flake-form substrates, and the use thereof in paints, coatings, printing inks, plastics and in particular in glazes, enamels, ceramic or glass-like materials.