Provided are scaly composite particles, including an indium layer, and a transparent inorganic layer on at least one surface of the indium layer. The transparent inorganic layer is an inorganic oxide, and has an average thickness of less than 25 nm. The scaly composite particles have a cumulative 50% volume-based particle diameter D.sub.50 of 1 μm or greater but 20 μm or less.

The present invention provides a glitter pigment suitable for imparting high brightness to reflected light toward a regular reflection direction and reducing unnaturalness caused by an observation angle-dependent variation in reflected light. The glitter pigment according to the present invention includes: a flaky substrate; an optical interference film formed on a surface of the flaky substrate; and fine light scattering particles attached to the optical interference film, wherein reflected light is represented by an L*(15) value of more than 100, a ΔL*(h−s) value of less than 30, and a Δh(h−s) value of less than 40° in an L*C*h color system. The L*(15) value is an L* value of the reflected light toward a 15° direction based on an angular representation in which, when an illuminant is disposed so that an incident angle is 45°, an angle at which light is regularly reflected is defined as 0° and a light incident direction is defined as positive. The ΔL*(h−s) value is a difference in L* between a highlight and shade, and the Δh(h−s) value is a difference in h between a highlight and shade. The Δh value expressed in angle is an angular difference. The highlight is an average of values measured at 15° and 25°, and the shade is an average of values measured at 75° and 110°.

A magnetic pigment flake includes a filtering film layer, with magnetic or magnetizable material, and a metal nanoparticles layer, formed on a surface of the filtering film layer. The metal nanoparticles layer is configured to generate scattered light enhanced by a local surface plasmon resonance under an irradiation of visible light exceeding a predetermined intensity. An optically variable ink includes an ink body and the above-mentioned magnetic pigment flakes. An anti-falsification article includes an article body and the above-mentioned optically variable ink. The magnetic pigment flake of the optically variable ink is magnetically oriented, such that a bright and dark areas are generated with a viewing angel changing under an irradiation of visible light below the predetermined intensity. Under an irradiation of visible light exceeding the predetermined intensity, light with a color different from that of the bright area is generated on a corresponding position of the dark area.

An article including a reflector having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface; a first selective light modulator layer external to the first surface of the reflector; a second selective light modulator layer external to the second surface of the reflector; a first absorber layer external to the first selective light modulator layer; and a second absorber layer external to the second selective light modulator layer; wherein each of the first and second selective light modulator layers include a host material is disclosed herein. Methods of making the article are also disclosed.

An article including at least one first metallic layer, at least one dielectric layer; and at least one second metallic layer is disclosed. The at least one dielectric layer can include at least one of (i) a photo-initiator, (ii) an oxygen inhibition mitigation composition, (iii) a leveling agent, and (iv) a defoamer.

A composition including a first color shifting pigment having a first color shift that extends from a starting color at normal through a plurality of colors as a viewing angle is increased to a final color, wherein the first color shift rotates counterclockwise relative to, and about, an origin of the L*a*b* color space; and a color filter that transmits a portion of the first color shift of the first color shifting pigment and absorbs a remainder of the first color shift of the first color shifting pigment; wherein the composition has a second color shift different from the first color shift; and wherein the second color shift has a first portion that rotates counterclockwise relative to the origin and a second portion that rotates clockwise relative to the origin is disclosed. A security device including the composition is included. A method of making the composition and a method of authenticating the security device are also disclosed.

The present invention provides a glitter pigment, including: a glass flake; a titanium oxide layer formed over the glass flake; and fine gold particles deposited on the titanium oxide layer, wherein the fine gold particles include fine gold particles P2 having a particle diameter of 20 nm or more and less than 50 nm, and in a square region 2 μm on a side on a surface of the titanium oxide layer on which the fine gold particles are deposited, the number of the fine gold particles P2 is 9 or more and less than 100 and an average of distances between the fine gold particles P2 is 130 nm or more and less than 500 nm, each of the distances being a distance from one of the fine gold particles P2 to another fine gold particle P2 nearest to the one.

A composition including a first color shifting pigment having a first color shift that extends from a starting color at normal through a plurality of colors as a viewing angle is increased to a final color, wherein the first color shift rotates counterclockwise relative to, and about, an origin of the L*a*b* color space; and a color filter that transmits a portion of the first color shift of the first color shifting pigment and absorbs a remainder of the first color shift of the first color shifting pigment; wherein the composition has a second color shift different from the first color shift; and wherein the second color shift has a first portion that rotates counterclockwise relative to the origin and a second portion that rotates clockwise relative to the origin is disclosed. A security device including the composition is included. A method of making the composition and a method of authenticating the security device are also disclosed.

The present invention provides an interference pigment that develops interference colors even on light-colored bases. An interference pigment 1 of the present invention includes: a flaky inorganic substrate 10; a transparent metal layer 20 that coats the inorganic substrate 10; and a metal oxide layer 30 that coats the metal layer 20.

A method is for forming a radiation shield around an object. The method includes providing an inorganic paint pigment comprising a fluid matrix, and paint flakes carried within the fluid matrix. Each paint flake includes a common aluminum mirror layer having a first major surface and a second major surface opposing the first major surface, a first plasmonic aluminum reflector layer carried by the first major surface, and a second plasmonic aluminum reflector layer carried by the second major surface. The method also includes coating an outer surface of the object with the inorganic paint pigment.