Multilayer Structural Pigment with Protective Oxide Coating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current multilayer thin film pigments require a large number of layers to achieve high-chroma omnidirectional structural colors, leading to high production costs and susceptibility to color fading and shifting when exposed to sunlight, particularly ultraviolet light.
Innovation Solution
A multilayer thin film pigment with a protective oxide coating that reduces photocatalytic activity by at least 50%, using a process involving oxide precursors like silicon, aluminum, zirconium, titanium, or cerium to deposit a weather-resistant layer, allowing for a minimal number of layers while maintaining color stability and resistance to environmental factors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If a large number of thin film layers are used to achieve high-chroma omnidirectional structural colors, then the color properties are improved, but the production cost increases and the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the protective coating into multiple functional layers: a base protective layer and an optional overcoat layer with different properties. This segmentation allows each layer to perform specific functions (UV protection, color enhancement, durability) rather than requiring all functions in a single thick layer, thereby achieving high-chroma omnidirectional structural colors with reduced overall layer count and complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses composite material structures combining organic protective coatings with inorganic oxide layers (such as silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, zirconium oxide, titanium oxide, or cerium oxide). This composite approach provides both the protective functions and optical properties needed for high-chroma omnidirectional structural colors, reducing the need for numerous separate layers while maintaining or improving color performance.
2Manufacturing precision
If a large number of thin film layers are used to achieve high-chroma omnidirectional structural colors, then the color properties are improved, but the production cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The protective coating is segmented into essential base layers and optional overcoat layers. This allows manufacturers to produce cost-effective versions with just the base protective layer while offering premium versions with additional overcoat layers for enhanced properties, thereby providing flexibility in production costs while maintaining high-chroma omnidirectional structural color performance.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes the thickness and composition parameters of the protective layers to achieve the desired optical effects with minimal material usage. By carefully controlling layer thicknesses and material compositions, the patent achieves high-chroma omnidirectional structural colors with reduced layer count, thereby lowering production costs while maintaining color properties.
3Illumination intensity
If the pigment is exposed to ultraviolet light and sunlight, then the pigment provides color, but the pigment undergoes fading and color changing
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies protective coatings containing UV-absorbing materials and antioxidants to the pigment surface before exposure to sunlight and ultraviolet light. These coatings preemptively block or neutralize the harmful effects of UV radiation and oxidative processes, preventing fading and color changing while allowing the pigment to maintain its color reflection properties under illumination.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective coating acts as an intermediary layer between the pigment and the environment (sunlight, UV radiation, moisture). This intermediate layer absorbs or reflects harmful UV radiation, provides antioxidants to prevent oxidative degradation, and maintains a stable interface between the pigment and external conditions, thereby protecting the pigment's color stability while preserving its optical properties.
4Reliability
If a protective coating is added to reduce photocatalytic activity, then the weather resistance is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines organic protective polymers with inorganic oxide nanoparticles or layers (silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, zirconium oxide, titanium oxide, or cerium oxide) to create a composite protective coating. This composite structure provides weather resistance, UV protection, and reduced photocatalytic activity through the synergistic effects of the combined materials, achieving high reliability without requiring excessively complex multi-layer structures.
Solution Approach 2:
The protective coating is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: UV protection, antioxidant protection, adhesion enhancement, and surface protection. By integrating these multiple protective functions into a single or few coating layers, the patent achieves improved weather resistance while minimizing the increase in device complexity compared to multiple separate protective layers.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution achieves a high-chroma omnidirectional structural color with minimal layer requirements, significant reduction in photocatalytic activity, and enhanced weather resistance, resulting in a cost-effective and stable pigment that maintains color consistency when viewed from different angles and exposed to broadband electromagnetic radiation.
Implementation Method 1
reduces a relative photocatalytic activity of the pigment by at least 50%
Implementation Method 2
pigments can exhibit fading, changing of color, etc. when exposed to sunlight, and in particular to ultraviolet light
Implementation Method 3
reflects a band of electromagnetic radiation having a predetermined full width at half maximum (FWHM) of less than 300 nm
Implementation Method 4
high-chroma omnidirectional structural color
Data Source
AI summary
An omnidirectional structural color pigment having a protective coating. The pigment has a first layer of a first material and a second layer of a second material, the second layer extending across the first layer. In addition, the pigment reflects a band of electromagnetic radiation having a predetermined full width at half maximum (FWHM) of less than 300 nm and a predetermined color shift of less than 30° when the pigment is exposed to broadband electromagnetic radiation and viewed from angles between 0 and 45°. The pigment has a weather resistant coating that covers an outer surface thereof and reduces a relative photocatalytic activity of the pigment by at least 50%.