Disclosed herein are coatings having enhanced reflectivity for electromagnetic radiation, as well as a process for producing the coatings.

The invention relates to a nail varnish composition comprising: a) an embossed effect pigment comprising a metallic substrate in platelet form with embossed structure having a periodic pattern with diffractive elements, said substrate having been produced by PVD methods, and optionally at least one coating applied to the substrate, wherein the substrate has an elemental metal content of 80% to 100% by weight, based on the substrate, and wherein the effect pigment has been treated with a leafing additive for surface modification, b) at least one hydrocarbon resin as binder, c) at least one solvent or solvent mixture and d) optionally further auxiliaries. The invention further relates to a process for producing the nail varnish composition.

A particle and a composition including a plurality of particles are provided, wherein the particles are platelets exhibiting a planar geometry which is circular or which is made up of a number (x) of planar (y)-sided polygon(s), wherein x is from 1 to 20 and y is at least 3 wherein if x is greater than 1 then said planar (y)-sided polygons are fused along one or more sides thereof, wherein the width (W.sub.P) of the platelets (P) at their widest point is no more than about 250 pm and the thickness of the platelets (P) is in the range of 10 nm to 50 nm.

An embossed effect pigment includes a metallic substrate in platelet form with embossed structure having a periodic pattern with diffractive elements, said substrate having been produced by PVD methods, wherein the substrate has an elemental metal content of 80% to 100% by weight, based on the substrate, and wherein the effect pigment has been treated with a leafing additive for surface modification. A method of manufacture of an embossed effect pigment includes suspending a metallic substrate in in at least one solvent, adding a leafing additive to the suspension including the metallic substrate in the at least one solvent and stirring the suspension including the leafing additive, and separating the embossed effect pigment from the at least one solvent.

Microstructured pigments include a dielectric core having a diffraction grating. The microstructured dielectric core is encapsulated with one or more encapsulation layers which are deposited using chemical vapor deposition in a fluidized bed. The fluidizing conditions allow for providing uniform and highly-conforming encapsulation layers.

A diffractive pigment includes diffractive pigment, includes a stack including alternating layers of a high refractive index layer and a low refractive index layer, in which the high refractive index layer is a composition including an organic material and high refractive index inorganic nanoparticles; in which at least one layer of the stack is embossed. A method of making a diffractive pigment is also disclosed.

A volume diffractive optical element (E) comprising: a carrier (1) having an optical relief pattern (P) on at least one surface thereof, and at least one optically functional layer (2) applied over or onto at least one or more portions or relief features (P) of the relief pattern on the carrier (1); wherein in embodiments the at least one optically functional layer (2) comprises a plurality of discrete bodies, beads or globules (2) of optical material applied over or onto the respective individual relief portions or relief features or relief elements (P) of the relief pattern on the carrier (1).

The invention relates to a nail varnish composition comprising: a) an embossed effect pigment comprising a metallic substrate in platelet form with embossed structure having a periodic pattern with diffractive elements, said substrate having been produced by PVD methods, and optionally at least one coating applied to the substrate, wherein the substrate has an elemental metal content of 80% to 100% by weight, based on the substrate, and wherein the effect pigment has been treated with a leafing additive for surface modification, b) at least one hydrocarbon resin as binder, c) at least one solvent or solvent mixture and d) optionally further auxiliaries.

The invention further relates to a process for producing the nail varnish composition.

An article includes a first organic layer and a second organic layer each with an interior embossed surface; and an embossed reflector layer adjacent to the interior embossed surface of the first organic layer and adjacent to the interior embossed surface of the second organic layer. A method of making an article is also disclosed.

A security device has a support substrate of a first material having a softening temperature t1 and an embossed layer of a second different material supported by the support substrate having a softening temperature t2, wherein t2<t1. A thin film coating deposited directly upon the embossed layer, wherein the embossed layer is capable of being dissolved in a dissolving agent and wherein the thin film coating is not dissolvable by said dissolving agent. There is not need for an additional release layer as the second different material is dissolvable and allows flakes to be formed by dissolving the second layer.