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 invention relates to aqueous, cationically stabilized primary dispersions comprising dispersed polymer particles that have a Z-average particle diameter of 5 to 500 nm and are obtainable by emulsion polymerization of at least one olefinically unsaturated monomer (A), wherein the emulsion polymerization takes place in the presence of one or more emulsifiers (E) having the following general formula: R.sup.1(R.sup.2)(R.sup.3), where: R is a moiety that contains at least one aromatic group and at least one aliphatic group, has 15 to 40 carbon atoms, and contains at least one functional group selected from hydroxy groups, thiol groups, and primary or secondary amino groups and/or comprises at least one carbon-carbon multiple bond; and R.sup.1, R.sup.2, and R.sup.3 are, independently of each other, identical or different aliphatic moieties having 1 to 14 carbon atoms. The invention also relates to a method for producing the primary dispersions, coating agents comprising the primary dispersions, use of the primary dispersions to produce electrocoats, and conductive substrates that have been coated with the coating agent compositions.

A particle dispersion (1) is disclosed that comprises a binder component (2) and a solvent component (3). The binder component (2) is dissolvable within the solvent component (3). The particle dispersion (1) also comprises a carbon based nano particle (4), wherein the carbon based nano particle (4) is uniformly dispersed within the binder (2).

An effect pigment preparation comprises an effect pigment, a dispersive additive, and a passivating agent. The preparation is dry, the pigment comprises about 84% or more of the mass of the preparation, the dispersive additive comprises up to 15% of the mass of the preparation, and the number of theoretical layers of the passivating agent is from about 2 to about 12. The effect pigment preparation is non-dusting and can be easily stirred into aqueous, solvent, or UV curing-based liquid coatings formulations.

Disclosed are a pigment having excellent electrical conductivity and corrosion resistance and a method for preparing the same. The method for preparing a pigment according to the present invention comprises the steps of: (a) stirring and dispersing flakes in water to form a suspension; (b) forming a catalyst layer on surfaces of the flakes; and (c) plating the surfaces of the flakes on which the catalyst layer is formed.

A method of forming a passivated pigment slurry includes combining a resin and a pigment to form a pigment-resin slurry, wherein the pigment includes a plurality of flakes each having a surface. After combining, the method includes mixing the pigment-resin slurry and an orthosilicate to form a coated pigment-resin slurry. The coated pigment-resin slurry includes the resin and a coated pigment including the plurality of flakes each encapsulated by a first layer formed from silica and disposed on the surface. The method further includes reacting the coated pigment-resin slurry and an organosilane compound having a hydrolysable group and an organic functional group to coat the first layer and thereby form the passivated pigment slurry. The passivated pigment slurry includes the resin and a passivated pigment including the plurality of flakes each coated with a second layer disposed on the first layer.

The present invention relates to flaky aluminum oxide and a preparation method thereof, and more particularly, to a flaky aluminum oxide which is suitably used as a substrate for a pearlescent pigment or the like, and to a preparation method thereof.

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.

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.

Disclosed herein is an aqueous base metal pigment dispersion liquid, including: a base metal pigment surface-treated with a fluorine-based compound; and water as a part of a solvent, in which the aqueous base metal pigment dispersion liquid further includes one or more solvents having a specific dielectric constant of greater than or equal to 30 and less than or equal to 50 and one or more solvents having a specific dielectric constant of less than 30, as measured by an alternate current-type dielectric constant measurement device at a temperature of 23 C. and a frequency of 10 kHz, as the solvent, as the solvent, and in which the sum of the solvents having a specific dielectric constant of greater than or equal to 30 and less than or equal to 50 is more than or equal to 5 mass % and less than or equal to 50 mass % and the sum of the solvents having a specific dielectric constant of less than 30 is more than or equal to 5 mass % and less than or equal to 20 mass %, when the total amount of the solvents is 100 mass %.