A composition of matter includes a liquid and nanoparticles suspended in the liquid. The nanoparticles each include silica, alumina, and an organosilicon functional group having a molecular weight of at least 200. A method includes functionalizing a surface of nanoparticles with an organosilicon functional group and dispersing the nanoparticles in a liquid to form a suspension. The functional group has a molecular weight of at least 200. The nanoparticles each include silica and alumina at a surface thereof.

An infrared absorbing fine particle dispersed powder, dispersion liquid containing infrared absorbing fine particle dispersed powder, ink containing infrared absorbing fine particle dispersed powder, and anti-counterfeit ink and anti-counterfeit printed matter, which are transparent in a visible light region, have excellent infrared absorption properties, and are also excellent in chemical resistance, and an infrared absorbing fine particle dispersed powder containing particles made of solid media and having an average particle size of 1 m or more and having infrared absorbing fine particles dispersed inside.

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.

A composition of matter includes a liquid and nanoparticles suspended in the liquid. The nanoparticles each include silica, alumina, and an organosilicon functional group having a molecular weight of at least 200. A method includes functionalizing a surface of nanoparticles with an organosilicon functional group and dispersing the nanoparticles in a liquid to form a suspension. The functional group has a molecular weight of at least 200. The nanoparticles each include silica and alumina at a surface thereof.

The invention provides dispersed inorganic mixed metal oxide pigment compositions in a non-aqueous media utilizing a dispersant having polyisobutylene succinic anhydride structure to disperse a mixed metal oxide pigment in the media. The metal oxide pigment is of the type used to colour ceramic or glass articles. A milling process using beads is also described to reduce the mixed metal oxide particle size to the desired range. A method of using the mixed metal oxide dispersion to digitally print an image on a ceramic or glass article using the dispersion jetted through a nozzle and subsequently firing the coloured article is also described.

A dispersion that inorganic oxide microparticles may be dispersed at a high concentration in a solvent, a composition for film formation having high transparency, high refractive index and adhesion to a base layer. Inorganic oxide microparticles wherein an amphiphilic organosilicon compound having one or more selected from a polyoxyethylene group, a polyoxypropylene group, or a polyoxybutylene group as a hydrophilic group, and one or more selected from a C.sub.1-18 alkylene group or a vinylene group as a hydrophobic group bonded to a surface of modified metal oxide colloidal particles (C) having a primary particle diameter of 2 to 100 nm, the modified metal oxide colloidal particles wherein a surface of metal oxide colloidal particles (A) having a primary particle diameter of 2 to 60 nm as a nucleus is coated with a coating material (B) including metal oxide colloidal particles having a primary particle diameter of 1 to 4 nm.

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.

Described herein are an aqueous effect pigment paste including at least one effect pigment (a) and at least one polymer (b) which is preparable by successive radical emulsion polymerization of three monomer mixtures (A), (B) and (C) of olefinically unsaturated monomers in water, an aqueous basecoat material which is preparable by admixing the effect pigment paste to at least one aqueous binder-containing component suitable for preparing the basecoat material, a method for producing a multicoat paint system using this basecoat material, and use of the polymer (b) for dispersing effect pigments within an aqueous effect pigment paste.

Subject matter are aqueous, low-VOC/SVOC universal pigment preparations comprising a pigment component, a water-soluble, anionic, surface-active additive from the group of the homo- and copolymers of ethylenically unsaturated monocarboxylic or dicarboxylic acids, which may further comprise, in copolymerized form, vinyl monomers containing no acid function, and of the salts of these homo- and copolymers, the homo- and copolymers being at least partly esterified with a polyether alcohol or a derivative thereof, and comprising a phosphoric or phosphonic ester, and optionally customary additives. The aqueous pigment preparations are suitable for the coloring of inks, paints, and renders, especially in metering systems at the point of sale or in in-plant tinting systems.

The present invention is composition comprising water, a pigment, and a compound of Formula I:

##STR00001##

wherein R, R.sup.1, x, and y are as defined herein.

The present invention addresses a need in the art by providing an aqueous inorganic pigment solution or dispersion that does require biocide to resist promotion of microbial growth.