Exercise mats, systems of exercise mats, and related methods of making and/or using the same are provided herein. More specifically, the subject matter disclosed herein relates to exercise mats, such as yoga mats, and systems of exercise mats that provide visual cues and/or different levels of tackiness to provide different levels of grip to optimize a user's connection to the mat and methods related to the exercise mats.

The present invention provides thermochromic liquid crystal inks and coatings. The ink and coating compositions comprise one or more non-encapsulated cholesteryl materials, one or more resins that are not cholesteryl materials, and one or more solvents. In certain embodiments, a thermochromic effect is observed at about body temperature.

Disclosed is a substrate which has thereon a marking or layer comprising a salt-free cured chiral liquid crystal precursor composition which comprises one or more nematic compounds A and one or more chiral dopant compounds B which are capable of giving rise to a cholesteric state of the chiral liquid crystal precursor composition and are of formula (I) as set forth herein. A modifying resin made from one or more polymerizable monomers comprising an average of at least one ether functionality per polymerizable group is disposed between the substrate and the marking or layer and in contact with the marking or layer in one or more areas thereof. The modifying resin changes the position of a selective reflection band exhibited by the cured chiral liquid crystal precursor composition on the substrate in the one or more areas.

Disclosed is a substrate which has thereon a marking or layer comprising a cured chiral liquid crystal precursor composition which does not contain any salt that would change the position of a selective reflection band exhibited by the cured composition. A modifying resin made from one or more polymerizable monomers comprising an average of at least one ether functionali typer polymerizable group is disposed between the substrate and the marking or layer and in contact with the marking or layer in one or more areas thereof. The modifying resin changes the position of a selective reflection band exhibited by the cured chiral liquid crystal precursor composition on the substrate in the one or more areas.

Described is a marking for a substrate. The marking comprises at least one luminescent substance (a) and at least one chiral liquid crystal polymer (CLCP) material (b) having a reflection wavelength range that overlaps at least a part of the luminescence wavelength range of (a), provided that at least a part of (b) is not located underneath (a).

Described is a marking for a substrate. The marking comprises at least one luminescent substance (a) and at least one chiral liquid crystal polymer (CLCP) material (b) having a reflection wavelength range that overlaps at least a part of the luminescence wavelength range of (a), provided that at least a part of (b) is not located underneath (a).