Color enhancing emulsions
View Patent ↗Color enhancing compositions for enhancing, changing and concealing the color of substrates to which the compositions are applied are provided. The compositions include chromatically selective scattering particles having small sizes and narrow size distributions. Inks, paints and other coatings made from the color enhancing compositions are also provided.
1. A color enhanced composition comprising:
a carrier fluid;
chromatically selective scattering particles; and
an absorber of visible light;
wherein:
the chromatically selective scattering particles have a particle size distribution as measured by (weight average diameter)/(number average diameter) of less than or equal to 1.1; and
the color enhanced composition is a color enhanced ink or a color enhanced paint.
2. The color enhanced composition of claim 1 wherein the ratio of the weight average diameter of the chromatically selective scattering particles to the wavelength maximum in the transmission or reflectance spectrum of the absorber is between about 0.4 and 0.5.
3. The color enhanced composition of claim 1 wherein the weight average diameter of the chromatically selective scattering particles is between about 170 and 360 nm.
4. The color enhanced composition of claim 1 wherein the weight average diameter of the chromatically selective scattering particles is between about 175 and 210 nm.
5. The color enhanced composition of claim 1 wherein the weight average diameter of the chromatically selective scattering particles is between about 210 and 235 nm.
6. The color enhanced composition of claim 1 wherein the weight average diameter of the chromatically selective scattering particles is between about 235 and 265 nm.
7. The color enhanced composition of claim 1 wherein the weight average diameter of the chromatically selective scattering particles is between about 295 and 310 nm.
8. The color enhanced composition of claim 1 wherein the weight average diameter of the chromatically selective scattering particles is between about 310 and 340 nm.
9. The color enhanced composition of claim 1 wherein the weight average diameter of the chromatically selective scattering particles is at least about 350 nm.
10. The color enhanced composition of claim 1 wherein the chromatically selective scattering particles comprise polymeric particles polymerized from vinyl aromatic monomers, (meth)acrylic acid monomers, (meth)acrylate monomers, or mixtures thereof.
11. The color enhanced composition of claim 10 wherein the monomers are selected from the group consisting of styrene, (meth)acrylic acid, 2-hydroxyethyl (meth)acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate and mixtures thereof.
12. The color enhanced composition of claim 1 wherein the chromatically selective scattering particles comprise inorganic particles selected from the group consisting of silica particles, glass particles and titanium dioxide particles.
13. The color enhanced composition of claim 1 wherein the chromatically selective scattering particles comprise hollow spheres.
14. The color enhanced composition of claim 1 wherein the chromatically selective scattering particles comprises a mixture of solid and hollow spheres.
15. The color enhanced composition of claim 1 further comprising a surrounding medium.
16. The color enhanced composition of claim 15 wherein the surrounding medium is selected from the group consisting of vacuum, air, polymers, resins and binders.
17. The color enhanced composition of claim 15 wherein a ratio of refractive indices of the chromatically selective scattering particles and the surrounding medium is at least about 1.2.
18. The color enhanced composition of claim 1 wherein the absorber of visible light is selected from the group consisting of pigments and dyes.
19. The color enhanced composition of claim 1 wherein the absorber of visible light is a black colorant.
20. A substrate coated with the color enhanced composition of claim 1 .
21. The color enhanced composition of claim 1 further comprising a binder.
22. A color enhanced composition comprising:
a carrier fluid;
chromatically selective scattering particles; and
an absorber of visible light comprising a black pigment;
wherein:
the chromatically selective scattering particles have a particle size distribution as measured by (weight average diameter)/(number average diameter) of less than or equal to 1.1; and
the chromatically selective scattering particles cause the black pigment to appear to be a color other than black.
23. The color enhanced composition of claim 22 wherein the weight average diameter of the chromatically selective scattering particles is between about 170 and 360 nm.
24. The color enhanced composition of claim 22 wherein the weight average diameter of the chromatically selective scattering particles is between about 175 and 210 nm.
25. The color enhanced composition of claim 22 wherein the weight average diameter of the chromatically selective scattering particles is between about 210 and 235 nm.
26. The color enhanced composition of claim 22 wherein the weight average diameter of the chromatically selective scattering particles is between about 235 and 265 nm.
27. The color enhanced composition of claim 22 wherein the weight average diameter of the chromatically selective scattering particles is between about 295 and 310 nm.
28. The color enhanced composition of claim 22 wherein the weight average diameter of the chromatically selective scattering particles is between about 310 and 340 nm.
29. The color enhanced composition of claim 22 wherein the weight average diameter of the chromatically selective scattering particles is at least about 350 nm.
30. The color enhanced composition of claim 22 wherein the chromatically selective scattering particles comprise polymeric particles polymerized from vinyl aromatic monomers, (meth)acrylic acid monomers, (meth)acrylate monomers, or mixtures thereof.
31. The color enhanced composition of claim 30 wherein the monomers are selected from the group consisting of styrene, (meth)acrylic acid, 2-hydroxyethyl (meth)acrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate and mixtures thereof.
32. The color enhanced composition of claim 22 wherein the chromatically selective scattering particles comprise inorganic particles selected from the group consisting of silica particles, glass particles and titanium dioxide particles.
33. The color enhanced composition of claim 22 wherein the chromatically selective scattering particles comprise hollow spheres.
34. The color enhanced composition of claim 22 further comprising a binder.
35. The color enhanced composition of claim 22 wherein the chromatically selective scattering particles comprises a mixture of solid and hollow spheres.
36. The color enhanced composition of claim 22 further comprising a surrounding medium.
37. The color enhanced composition of claim 36 wherein the surrounding medium is selected from the group consisting of vacuum, air, polymers, resins and binders.
38. The color enhanced composition of claim 36 wherein a ratio of refractive indices of the chromatically selective scattering particles and the surrounding medium is at least about 1.2.
39. The color enhanced composition of claim 22 , wherein the black pigment is a carbon black pigment.
40. A substrate coated with the color enhanced composition of claim 22 .