Two-part aqueous coating compositions as well as methods of using thereof are described. The first coating component can comprise one or more polymers and the second coating component can comprise a flocculant. The first coating component and the second coating component can be provided as separate aqueous compositions. The first coating component and a second coating component that can be co-applied (e.g., simultaneously or sequentially) to a surface form a rapid set coating.

Methods, systems, and devices are disclosed for encapsulating biological entities with preservation of their biological activity. In one aspect, a method of encapsulating a biological entity includes templating a biocompatible material onto a biological structure to form a coating structure enclosing the biological structure, the coating structure having a size in the nanometer range, in which the coated biological structure preserves its biological activity within the coating structure. In some implementations of the method, the biological structure includes a virus and the biocompatible material includes silica.

An overlay film-forming composition used to cause phase separation to a block copolymer-containing layer formed on a substrate, the composition including: (A) a copolymer that includes (a) a unit structure derived from maleimide structure and a unit structure derived from styrene structure; and (B) an ether compound having 8-16 carbon atoms as a solvent. The overlay film-forming composition exhibits good solubility with respect to a hydrophobic solvent, and is able to induce vertical alignment of a block copolymer without causing dissolution, swelling, and the like of the block copolymer-containing layer formed on the substrate.

An overlay film-forming composition used to cause phase separation to a block copolymer-containing layer formed on a substrate, the composition including: (A) a copolymer that includes (a) a unit structure derived from maleimide structure and a unit structure derived from styrene structure; and (B) an ether compound having 8-16 carbon atoms as a solvent. The overlay film-forming composition exhibits good solubility with respect to a hydrophobic solvent, and is able to induce vertical alignment of a block copolymer without causing dissolution, swelling, and the like of the block copolymer-containing layer formed on the substrate.

A modification method of a surface of a base includes applying a composition on a surface layer of a base to form a coating film. The surface layer contains a metal atom. The coating is heated. The composition contains a polymer and a solvent. The polymer includes at an end of a main chain or at an end of a side chain thereof, a functional group that is at least one selected from: a group represented by the following formula (1); a group containing a carbon-carbon triple bond; and a group containing an aromatic hydroxy group. In the formula (1), R.sup.1 represents a hydrogen atom or a monovalent organic group having 1 to 20 carbon atoms; and n is an integer of 1 to 10, wherein in a case in which n is no less than 2, a plurality of R.sup.1s are identical or different.

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Two-part aqueous coating compositions as well as methods of using thereof are described. The first coating component can comprise one or more polymers and the second coating component can comprise a flocculant. The first coating component and the second coating component can be provided as separate aqueous compositions. The first coating component and a second coating component that can be co-applied (e.g., simultaneously or sequentially) to a surface form a rapid set coating.

Two-part aqueous coating compositions as well as methods of using thereof are described. The first coating component can comprise one or more polymers and the second coating component can comprise a flocculant. The first coating component and the second coating component can be provided as separate aqueous compositions. The first coating component and a second coating component that can be co-applied (e.g., simultaneously or sequentially) to a surface form a rapid set coating.

Disclosed herein are water-based, pigment-containing coating compositions for application over leather substrates including patent leather, such as but not limited to shoes, belts, purses, bags, wallets, and the like, comprising a combination of acrylic resins having glass transition temperatures at a lower end of the scale around 20-25 C. for flexibility with a balance of harder styrenated and non-styrenated acrylic resins, such coating compositions displaying chemical properties for both flexibility to bend with the leather substrates and gloss for excellent aesthetic appearance.

Disclosed herein are water-based, pigment-containing coating compositions for application over leather substrates including patent leather, such as but not limited to shoes, belts, purses, bags, wallets, and the like, comprising a combination of acrylic resins having glass transition temperatures at a lower end of the scale around 20-25 C. for flexibility with a balance of harder styrenated and non-styrenated acrylic resins, such coating compositions displaying chemical properties for both flexibility to bend with the leather substrates and gloss for excellent aesthetic appearance.

A method for producing elliptical, needle-shaped, or rod-shaped polymer particles satisfying (1)-(3) below includes a step in which a synthesis solution including water, a mixed solvent of a hydrophilic organic solvent and a hydrophobic organic solvent, a polymeric stabilizer, a polymerization initiator, and an unsaturated monomer is heated, and, at least after the heating has started, the pH of the synthesis solution is adjusted to 5-9 inclusive to perform solution polymerization: (1) the average (L.sub.AV) length (L) in a two-dimensional projection diagram obtained by irradiating the particles with light from a direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction is 0.1-80 m; (2) the average (D.sub.AV) breadth (D) in the two-dimensional projection diagram obtained by irradiating the particles with light from the direction orthogonal to the longitudinal direction is 0.05-40 m; and (3) the average (P.sub.AV) aspect ratio (L/D) calculated from the length (L) and the breadth (D) is 1.5-30.