A method for increasing a detection distance of a surface of an object illuminated by near-IR electromagnetic radiation, including: (a) directing near-IR electromagnetic radiation from a near-IR electromagnetic radiation source towards an object at least partially coated with a near-IR reflective coating that increases a near-IR electromagnetic radiation detection distance by at least 15% as measured at a wavelength in a near-IR range as compared to the same object coated with a color matched coating which absorbs more of the same near-IR radiation, where the color matched coating has a E color matched value of 1.5 or less when compared to the near-IR reflective coating; and (b) detecting reflected near-IR electromagnetic radiation reflected from the near-IR reflective coating. A system for detecting proximity of vehicles is also disclosed.

The present invention relates to an effect pigment dispersion comprising water, a flake aluminum pigment, and a cellulose-based rheology control agent, wherein the effect pigment dispersion contains 0.1 to 10 parts by mass of solids based on 100 parts by mass of all components thereof, the viscosity measured using a Brookfield type viscometer is 400 to 10000 mPa.Math.sec at a rotational speed of 6 revolutions per minute, and the solids content of the flake aluminum pigment is 30 to 200 parts by mass based on 100 parts by mass of the total amount of components other than the flake aluminum pigment in the total solids content.

Provided is a metal-particle dispersion composition as a composition containing dispersed metal particles and being suitable for use in aqueous coating compositions, etc., the metal-particle dispersion composition comprising 10-80 mass % metal particles, 0.01-10 mass % organic titanate compound in a chelate form, 1-40 mass % water, and 2-30 mass % organic solvent having a higher boiling point than water, the amounts being based on the whole composition, wherein the organic titanate compound is an organic compound represented by Ti(OR).sub.4 (the OR groups include at least one chelatable substituent based on triethanolamine) and the organic solvent having a higher boiling point than water is a C.sub.7 or lower alcohol compound.

Nano-thick flakes that are either flat, and specularly-reflective in visible light or that have microroughness intentionally controlled to disperse or interfere with visible light. Coatings and inks utilizing such flakes. Method for fabrication of such flakes in partial vacuum includes the repeated multiple times deposition of a release layer over a substrate surface and a flake layer over the release layer to form a multilayer structure further reduced to individual flakes. Reactive metal is passivated inline with the deposition of the flake layer for superior corrosion resistance. Chemically-functional materials are optionally added to the release material to transfer their functionality to the surface of flake layer to create unique functional properties on a flake surface before the multilayer structure is removed from the substrate.

A method for forming a multilayer coating film comprising the steps of: (1) applying a base paint (X) to a substrate to form a base coating film, (2) applying an effect pigment dispersion (Y) to the base coating film formed in step (1) to form an effect coating film, (3) applying a clear paint (Z) to the effect coating film formed in step (2) to form a clear coating film, and (4) heating the uncured base coating film, the uncured effect coating film, and the uncured clear coating film formed in steps (1) to (3) to thereby simultaneously cure these three coating films; wherein the effect pigment dispersion (Y) contains water, a black pigment (A), a vapor deposition metal flake pigment (B), and a rheology control agent (C).

Provided are thin leaf-like indium particles having a first peak and a second peak at a greater particle diameter than a particle diameter at which the first peak appears in a volume-based particle size distribution representing a relationship between particle diameters of indium particles and ratios by volume of the indium particles at the particle diameters, wherein a volume V1 of the indium particles at the first peak and a volume V2 of the indium particles at the second peak satisfy a formula (V1/V2)10025%.

The present invention relates to an effect pigment dispersion comprising water, a flake aluminum pigment, and a cellulose-based rheology control agent, wherein the effect pigment dispersion contains 0.1 to 10 parts by mass of solids based on 100 parts by mass of all components thereof, the viscosity measured using a Brookfield type viscometer is 400 to 10000 mPa.Math.sec at a rotational speed of 6 revolutions per minute, and the solids content of the flake aluminum pigment is 30 to 200 parts by mass based on 100 parts by mass of the total amount of components other than the flake aluminum pigment in the total solids content.

A method for increasing a detection distance of a surface of an object illuminated by near-IR electromagnetic radiation, including: (a) directing near-IR electromagnetic radiation from a near-IR electromagnetic radiation source towards an object at least partially coated with a near-IR reflective coating that increases a near-IR electromagnetic radiation detection distance by at least 15% as measured at a wavelength in a near-IR range as compared to the same object coated with a color matched coating which absorbs more of the same near-IR radiation, where the color matched coating has a E color matched value of 1.5 or less when compared to the near-IR reflective coating; and (b) detecting reflected near-IR electromagnetic radiation reflected from the near-IR reflective coating. A system for detecting proximity of vehicles is also disclosed.

An aqueous coating composition includes an aluminum pigment, and the aluminum pigment is composed of tabular particles which are surface-treated by a fluorine-containing compound and which have an average thickness (Z) of 8 to 100 nm in a thickness direction thereof.

Provided are a metal dispersion liquid including tabular metal particles, a water-soluble resin which contains at least one functional group selected from the group consisting of a carboxy group, an amino group, and a thiol group, a polycarboxylic acid having a partial structure which connects carbon atoms in two carboxy groups to each other and has four or more linearly bonded atoms, or a salt thereof, and water; and applications thereof.