A method of encapsulating pigment flakes with a metal oxide coating is provided. According to the method, pigment flakes are mixed with a solvent, a metal salt is added to the solvent, and a reducing agent is added to the solvent, so as to encapsulate the pigment flakes with a metal oxide coating.

This invention deals with effect pigment mixture comprising platelet-like aluminum effect pigments obtained by grinding of aluminum or aluminum based alloy shot and silvery pearlescent pigments, wherein the silvery pearlescent pigments are taken from the group consisting of: a) pearlescent pigments comprising a transparent substrate which is coated with a high-refractive index layer with n>1.8, which comprises or consists of an iron-oxide with Fe(II)-ions, b) pearlescent pigments comprising a transparent substrate which is coated with a high-refractive index layer with n>1.8, which comprises or consists of titanium suboxide or a pearlescent pigment comprising a substrate with a high-refractive index with n>1.8 layer, which comprises or consists of a titanium suboxide that is optionally coated with a high-refractive index layer with n>1.8, c) pearlescent pigments comprising a transparent substrate which is coated with a high-refractive index layer with n>1.8, which comprises or consists of titanium oxynitride, d) pearlescent pigments comprising a transparent substrate which is coated with a layer comprising carbon, wherein the carbon is enclosed in a particulate form in another metal oxide layer or is formed as a separate, individual layer, e) a transparent substrate coated with a first layer comprising or consisting of a mixture of the oxides of titanium, iron and at least one of cobalt and chromium and a second layer on the first layer, wherein the second layer comprises an oxide of titanium, and mixtures or combinations of the pearlescent pigments a) to e) or pearlescent pigments with mixtures or combinations of the various coating layers mentioned in the pearlescent pigments a) to e), wherein the weight ratio of the pearlescent pigment to the aluminum effect pigment is in a range of 0.4 to 5.0. The invention deals also with a coating formulation containing this effect pigment mixture.

There is disclosed a functional lamellar particle including an unconverted portion of the lamellar particle, wherein the unconverted portion includes a first metal, a converted portion of the lamellar particle disposed external to a surface of the unconverted portion, wherein the converted portion includes a chemical compound of the first metal; and a functional coating disposed external to a surface of the converted portion.

The invention relates to powder made of coated PVD metal effect pigment, highly concentrated suspensions of coated PVD metal effect pigment as well as the use thereof in powder lacquers and masterbatches. The powder according to the invention made of coated PVD metal effect pigments is characterized by a very good redispersibility and is outstandingly suitable in particular for the preparation of highly concentrated suspensions. Furthermore, it is very free flowing, substantially agglomerate-free and results in coatings with excellent metallic gloss.

A colored metallic pigment according to the present invention is a colored metallic pigment including at least a metallic pigment, an amorphous silicon oxide film layer formed on a surface of the metallic pigment, a metallic-particle-supporting layer formed on a surface of the amorphous silicon oxide film layer, and metallic particles formed on a surface of the metallic-particle-supporting layer, characterized in that the metallic-particle-supporting layer is formed of one or both of a metal layer and a metal oxide layer composed of a metal oxide other than silicon oxide, the metallic particles are formed to directly cover a part of the surface of the metallic-particle-supporting layer, and the amorphous silicon oxide film layer has a thickness of more than 500 nm.

The invention relates to copper-containing metal pigments, wherein the copper-containing metal pigments have an elemental copper content of at least 50 wt.-%, relative to the total weight of the uncoated copper-containing metal pigment, wherein the copper-containing metal pigments have at least one enveloping metal oxide layer and at least one enveloping chemically non-reactive plastic layer, wherein the sum of the amounts of the at least one chemically non-reactive plastic layer and of the at least one metal oxide layer lies in a range of from 10 to 50 wt.-%, relative to the weight of the uncoated metal pigment, and the weight ratio of the at least one metal oxide layer to the at least one chemically non-reactive plastic layer lies in a range of from 1:2 to 1:20. The invention furthermore relates to a method for producing these pigments and the use thereof.

There is disclosed a functional lamellar particle including an unconverted portion of the lamellar particle, wherein the unconverted portion includes a first metal, a converted portion of the lamellar particle disposed external to a surface of the unconverted portion, wherein the converted portion includes a chemical compound of the first metal; and a functional coating disposed external to a surface of the converted portion.

A method of encapsulating pigment flakes with a metal oxide coating is provided. According to the method, pigment flakes are mixed with a solvent, a metal salt is added to the solvent, and a reducing agent is added to the solvent, so as to encapsulate the pigment flakes with a metal oxide coating.

The invention relates to methods for producing coloured materials with the use of metal nanoparticles of gold, copper or silver, to said coloured materials, and to the uses of same in various applications.

Provided are thin leaf-like indium particles having a first peak and a second peak at a greater particle diameter than a particle diameter at which the first peak appears in a volume-based particle size distribution representing a relationship between particle diameters of indium particles and ratios by volume of the indium particles at the particle diameters, wherein a volume V1 of the indium particles at the first peak and a volume V2 of the indium particles at the second peak satisfy a formula (V1/V2)×100≥25%.