US2712190A - Iridescent material and product - Google Patents

Description

July 5, 1955 s. soBEL 2,712,190

IRIDESCENT MATERIAL AND PRODUCT Filed Ma'y 29,I 1953 KNWU,

IN V EN TOR.

SOL 50BEL ATTORNE)l United States Patent IRIDESCENT MATERIAL AND PRODUCT soly sober, Plainfield, N. J., assigner to Raiuno-Cei, Inc., Perth Amboy, N. I., a corporation of New Jersey Application Mayz9, 1953, Serial No. 358,301

16 Claims. (Cl. 141-10) This invention relates to iridescent' products and. is 'concerned more particularly with' the provision of pl'astic productsV having an iridescent appearance.

It has been proposedy heretofore to impart an iridescent effect tothe surface of wrapping material having a Cellu- Ioid base or to films of cellulose derivatives or to cellulose papers made transparent by means of resin or similar materials by applying to such surface a bismuth or antimony compound, and then applying thereover a film of strongly' diluted solutions of. resins or film. formers, e. g. a film of liquid Celluloid. Such materials, although satisfactory as wrapping sheets are not satisfactory when shredded into akes and an attempt is made to incorporate them into plastics carrier bodies, to make decorative 'articles such as costume jewelry, buckles, buttons', studs and the like, since they quickly lose their iridescent effect. Also, the degree of iridescence of the wrapping material alone is markedly inferior and lacking in quality. Y Such a teaching is'ex'erripl'ified, for example, by the British patent to Wickel 294,468, of April 1"-8, 1928.'

It has also been proposed to form ornamental obects from plastics by incorporating therein light reflecting particles, such as pearl essence, metal foils, particles of powder, metallic salts, ete. Further, these bodies have lbeen cut in a 'specific manner, e. g'. so that the light reflecting particles are oriented in a direction generallyn parallel to the longraxis of the; body. However, all'such products do not exhibit iridescence, e. g. the 'display of rainbow colors on a surface due to thin films, which cause interference' of light rays,- but rather such heretofore known products have been referred to as being pearly, nacre-ous, silky, chatoyant,'etc., i. e. lu-sters arising from layers of reflecting surfaces. Suchateaching isexemplifed by the British patent to Meyer' 548,834, of Aprill 23,v 1941.

lit has further beenx proposed,` an attempt to obtain iridescent e'fe'cts in plastics productsto'heterogeneo'usly and indiscriminately incorporate cubes, blocks, discs, or

portions of differently pigmented plastics into a plastic mass of cellulose organic derivative base material on steam-heated kne'ading rolls. Itis important to note that in such prior art suggestionsthe structure of the Hake was obtained by mixing a colloidal suspension of pearl. essence, mica dust, metallic salts or powders, etc.,.with a plasticizer and then homogeniz'ing the mixture with a. plastics masson` kneading: rolls, the cooled product thereafter bei-ng shredded intoy flakes. Such akes do not exhibit any marked degree of iridescence when. subsequently incorporated into aplastics body; Such a teaehngfi's contained in the U. S'. patent to Conklin, 2,l54;4'38,l issued on April 18, 1939.

I have now determined'that if a polyfilmed flake is incorporated into a plastics base material, wherein the ilakeincludea atleast two metallic films, an iridescent product may be formed which will. exhibit the, same degrec of iridescence as exhibited by the akeitself'.

.Ita is, therefore, one object Aof this invention toprovide an iridescent material which shall haveav greater. decora.- tive effect than similar products heretofore known. v It 2,712,190 Patented July 5, 1955 F. ICC

2 isl another object of this invention to provide an iridescent product containing' such material which shall be capable of'greater adaptability than other such products as heretofor'e known and which shall, therefore, be capable of wider use' than heretofore possible. lt is a further objectiveoflt'his invention to provide products for the costume jewelry industry which shall have an enhanced eye appeal.

Other advantages and objects of my invention will appear from the description'thereof hereinafter following:

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, formin'g partiof thisspecification, and in which:

'Figure 1 is a cros`ssectional view of the ir'idescentmaterial of my invention, f l A `Figure 2' isa cro's's-s"ectional view of another embodiment of the iridescent material` ofthe invention,

Figure 3' is an elevational View of a part of the' product of the invention, and p v Figure 4' is an elevational view of another embodiment of the' product ofthe invention.

My invention contemplates the provision of 'iridescent material.

Referring to Figure l, the iridescent material has a base layer' 1, of plastics, and has a first outer layer 2, also of plastics material. Alternatively, the base layer may` have twoy first outer layers, one onv each side' of the base layer. Optionally, a secondf outer layer 3, also of' plastics material may` be used', however, vsuchv second outer layer may be omitted', if desired'. Inte'rposed between the base layer 1 and the first outer layer 2'; and on the surface of the layer 2, or between the layers 2 and 3, are thin metallic films 4v and 5, of the same 'or different materials. It is necessary that' theA outer film4 5 be light transmissive, however the inner film 4 may be opaque, if desired. The several layers-may consist of the same or of different plastics material. ln Figure 2 I have shown a further embodiment wherein four metallic films 4, 5, 8 and 9 are employed, interspersed among lay- ers 1, 2, 3, 6 and '7. As indicated above,` the outermost layer 7 may be omitted.

The thin metallic films consist of metal and/or metallic compounds. lf a metal compound is used, preferably the salt, then the surface of each layer is polished with such metallic' compound.' For example, bismuth oxychlori'de or other halogen `compound-'s of bismuth' or com'- pounds'of other metals may be" used. At least theoutermost metallic film of the flake mu'st be light transmissive. Also, a pure metal may be used, and it' may be electrodeposited on the plasticslayers or put on by high vacuum deposition. v The iridescent efle'c't is obtainedv by the interference of light reected from the front and the back of the thin film, and through the plastic' layers and the metallic 'lrns' therebetween.' `The thickness: of the film determines the color attributed tol it; thus, as the thickness ofl the' film increases, its' apparent c'ol'or changes analogous toV that of the weil-known Newton rings; Therefore;y the extremely thin films of the first order are white, -yellow or red, while those that are-thicker exhibitapparent colors that are red, orange, greenish-blue, etc. Where the laminated material has a plurality of such layers, the thickness may be variedfrom. layer tola-yer'to produce a variety of iridescenteiects. v f

thermoplastic plastics, the cellulose ethers such as ethyl cellulose, methyl cellulose, benzyl cellulose or cellulose acetate, nitrocellulose, polystyrene, superpolyamides,

acrylate polymers, styrol resins and the like, or combinations thereof, may be used. Of the thermosetting plastics,

phenols or phenol-aldehydes such as phenol formaldehyde or unsaturated polyester or alkyd, allyl esters and the like, resorcinols, urans, ureas, silicones, epoxies or combinations thereof may be used.

Figure 3 shows a form of the use of the iridescent material of the invention. The iridescent material 10, in ,various shapes of flakes, such as discs, thin sheets, triangles, tape, etc., is dispersed through a carrier medium .11, shown as a rod. It is to be understood, however, that the carrier medium may assume any desired physical shape, e. g. umbrella frames, optical frames, etc., or may be supported on any other body. In Figure 4, the flake 4material 12 is embedded in a transparent carrier body 13 in the form of a sphere, which may form a bead for necklaces, bracelets, etc.

The product may be formed by casting or molding, i. e. iniection compression, extrusion, etc. The abovementioned thermosetting plastics are primarily useful as the carrier body in the case of castings and compression molding, while extruded products are preferably formed with i the thermoplastic materials. The flake can be employed in all usual methods of handling thermoplastics, i. e. n

injection molding, laminating, etc.

The following specific examples are illustrative of the present invention, but are not to be construed as being limitative ofthe scope thereof.

Example I butyl acetate with a viscosity of approximately .50 poise i at 77 F., and the film was coated therewith by immersing it in the solution. The lm was then withdrawn vertically The film was then at approximately three inches of movement per minute. f

After the coating had dried and adhered to the cellulose acetate film, it was polished onboth sides with bismuth oxychloride and wiped with a clean cloth to remove any excess powder. The now iridescent material was then shredded to a desirable size.

` Example AII- A cellulose nitrate film, approximately .002H thick, was placed on a smooth surface. The film was then polished by rubbing on both sides with a fine cloth whichwas' g with 1% by weight of benzoyl'peroxide and heated at dusted with bismuth oxyiodide for such time and with such pressure so as to deposit on the surfaceaV highly reflectant metallic film of a reddish tint.A Then, wiping with a clean cloth, the excess powder was removed. A solution of styrene polymer dissolved in styrene monomer was prepared with aviscosity of approximately .SOpoise at 77 F., and the film was coated therewith. by immersing it in the solution. The lm was then withdrawn vertically at approximately three inches of movement per minute. cellulose nitrate film, it was polished with bismuth oxyiodide on both sides, and wiped as above described. The now iridescent material was then shredded to a desirable size.

Example Ill A polyvinylidene chloride film was placed on a smooth surface. The sheet was then polished as described in Example I, supra. A solution of cellulose `acetate dis*- s'olved in methyl Cellosolve acetate with a viscosity of approximately .50 poise at 77 F., was prepared and the film was coated therewith by immersion. The film was then withdrawn and allowed to dry as in the above examples. It was then polished again, as described in Example I. A solution of Vinyl butyral was then prepared and dissolved in a mixture of butyl and methyl alcohol at a viscosity of approximately 80 seconds on a Ford Cup at 77 F., and the coated lm was immersed in this solution and withdrawn at the rate of two inches of movement per minute. When it was dry, it was again repolished and lwiped as described in Example I. The iridescent material was then shredded into flakes.

Example l V A film of aluminum was deposited by high vacuum deposition onto a low volatile regenerated cellulose film. A solution of methyl methacrylate -dissolved in its monomer was prepared at a viscosity of approximately '.50 poise at 7.7 F. The regenerated cellulose film was then immersed in the acrylic solution and withdrawn as in Example I. When this coating was dry, it was polished, wiped and shredded as described in Example I. Y

Example V Example VI A iilm of silver was deposited by high tracuum deposition onto a low volatile nylon lm. A solution of cellulose acetate butyrate was prepared at a viscosity of approximately .50 poise at 77 F. The nylon film was immersed in cellulose acetate butyrate solution and withdrawn as in Example I. When this coating `was. dry it was polished, wiped and shredded as described in Example I. t

In the last threeexamples, the metallic film may also have been provided by electroplating or flame sprayf ing, etc.

The iridescent material or flake, produced as described in the above examples may be incorporated in a plastics carrier body to form a desired product. vAny plastics material may be used for the carrier body, such as polyesters, phenolics, ureas, melanines, casein, cellulosics, acrylics, vinyls, etc. The following examples are illustrative of the formation of a product embodying-the iridescent material.

Example V11 Anallyl polyester resinl (e. g. Kriston) was catalyzed about 167 F; for about one to two hours until thickening occurred. Such a .plastics material exhibits suficiently high viscosity so that before thickening occurred a .plurality of iridescent fragments, such as thoseproduced in Example I above, was introduced and the mixture was After the coating had dried, and adhered to the stirred until a yuniform `distribution of flake was obtained. The mixture wasth'en cast into a desired shape, i. e. a rod. Curing takes place after about two hours.

ErampletVlIl V degrees F; i

miami Example IX A properly catalyzed phenolic resin (e. g'.,`Catal' or'1d) was poured into a mold-of a desired' configuration. The flakes were then added and the mixture in the moldwas thoroughly stirred to obtain uniform distribution. kCuring was obtained at about 175 F. i n

The hereinbefore described specific examples ofthis invention have all illustrated how iridescent flakes and products may be formed.A However, as previously indicated, the scope of.- the invention is not limited "to the specific metals and plastics mentioned. Thus, for example, any plastics material maybe substituted for the layers or the carrier body material mentioned above. Also, any metal or form thereof, may' be used in any manner, known per se, for forming the lm. v

During the manufacture of the product, care must be taken that the plastics material of the iridescent flake and the plastics material of the carrier body are not, at the temperature employed and during the period of contact, while the carrier material is soft or fluid, soluble one in the other; since otherwise the sharply defined boundary between the dispersed medium and the carrier body would be destroyed. Therefore, for each type of iridescent flake it is necessary to select a plastics carrier body of a material compatible therewith, so-'that the temperature requirements of the carrier body are not in excess of the temperature limitations of the `iridescent material, so that there is no solvent or chemical reaction between the two. Furthermore, it is important, especially in the case of casting of the thermosetting plastics and monomers, that the fragments or media to be dispersed are floated into the carrier material while the latter is in such a state of viscosity that a uniform distribution of the dispersed medium throughout the carrier body is possible without settlement thereof during the curing or hardening of the carrier body.

For molding thermosetting materials, or for molding and extruding thermoplastic materials, the iridescent particles may be incorporated with the molding compound in any suitable manner; for example, on kneading rolls, or in dry mixing with the molding compound, or where practical, the iridescent particles may be introduced into the monomer.

TheV transparent carrier body may be backed up, where desired, by an opaque surface, e. g. in the form of a black plastics or an applied opaque surface. While the specific examples deal with a carrier body and with flake layers of transparent plastics material, other light-transmissive materials, such as translucent plastics or vitreous materials may of course also be used. Also, of the layers of the flake, the base or first layer may be of opaque material as long as the outer layer is light transmissive.

The product of my invention is characterized by a high eye appeal throughout, substantially all of the loosely dispersed fragments or flakes generally participating in the iridescent effect, thus creating a sparkling iridescence not heretofore obtained. As illustrative of the failure of they prior teaching to provide iridescent products comparable to that taught by this invention, the following comparison was made:

Example X A sheet of cellulose acetate film, approximately .002" thick, was polished on one side by rubbing with a fine cloth which was dusted with bismuth oxychloride for such time and with such pressure so as to deposit on the surface of the sheet a highly reflectant metallic lm. The excess powder was then removed by wiping with a clean cloth. The coated layer was then immersed in a nitrocellulose solution, and withdrawn as described in Example I, supra. Upon drying, this material was found to exhibit an iridescence. Such material is exemplified in the prior art by the above-mentioned patent to Wickel. The coated film was then cut in two and one portion was re- I, supra. oth portions were then' immersed into a beaker of istyrene monomer. Upon observance it was noted that the portion of thematerial which represented the priorv known teachings lost its iridescent property and merely became Ylight transmissive, whereas the portion of the material which had the twometallic films, according to the teachings of my invention exhibited the same degree of iridescence as itr had formerly.

Other arrangements of the layers and films of the flake than shown i-n the drawings and modifications in the product containing. the flakes will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art and are intended to be included within the scope of the invention.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my prior filed applications Serial Numbers 165,398 and 165,399, both filed on June l, 1950, now abandoned.

What I claim is: Y

1. An iridescent product consisting of a carrier body at least partially composed of light transmissive plastics material, having dispersed therethrough a discrete medium of iridescent material in the form of a flake, said flake being characterized as comprising a base layer of a solid material presenting an upper and a lower surface, at least one of said surfaces having thereon a minimum of two metallic films one of which is light transmissive and an interposed layer of a light transmissive plastics material therebetween, the layers and films being so arranged as to have a light transmissive layer and a light transmissive film juxtaposed on a surface of the flake, the substances of the layers, films and carrier body` being so chosen that they do not become interfused during manufacture.

2.The iridescent product of claim l wherein the flake has a second light transmissive plastics material layer over the outer metallic film.

3. An iridescent product consisting of a carrier body at least partially composed of light transmissive plastics material, having dispersed therethrough a discrete medium of iridescent material in the form of a flake, said flake being characterized as comprising a base layer of a solid material presenting an upper and alower surface, both of said surfaces having thereon a minimum of two metallic films one of which is light transmissive and an interposed layer of a light transmissive plastics material therebetween, the layers and films being so arranged as to have a light transmissive layer and a light transmissive film juxtaposed on a surface of the flake, the substances of the layers, films and carrier body being so chosen that they do not become interfused during manufacture.

4. The iridescent product of claim 3 wherein the flake has a light transmissive plastics material layer over each of said outer metallic films.

5. The irridescent product of claim l wherein the base layer is of a plastics material.

6. The iridescent product of claim l wherein the two metallic films encompassing the interposed layer are both light transmissive.

7. The iridescent product of claim l wherein the base layer is of light transmissive plastics material.

8. An iridescent flake comprising a base layer of a solid material and presenting an upper and a lower surface, at least one of said surfaces having thereon a minimum of two metallic films one of which is light transmissive and an interposed layer of a light transmissive plastics materials therebetween, the layers and films being so arranged as to have a light transmissive layer and a light transmissive film juxtaposed on a surface of the flake, the substances of the layers, films and carrier body being so chosen that they do not become interfused during manufacture.

9. The iridescent flake of claim 8 wherein the flake has a second light transmissive plastics material layer over the outer metallic film.

l0. An iridescent flake comprising a base layer of a polished and the excess removed as described in Example 1I Solid material and presenting an upper and a lower surface, both of said surfaces having thereon a minimum of two metallic films one of which is light'transrnissive and an interposed layer of a light transmissive plastics material therebetween, the layers and lms being so arranged as to have a light transmissive layer and alight transmissive'lm juxtaposed on a surface of the flake, the substances of the layers, lms, and carrier body being so chosen that they do not become interfused during manufacture. Y

1l. The iridescent flake of claim 10 wherein the flake has a second light transmissive plastics material layer over the outer metallic lms.

12. The iridescent ake of claim 8 wherein the solid material of the base layer is plastics material. i

13. The iridescent ake of claim 12 wherein the two metallic lms encompassing the interposed layer are both light transmissive. n

:14. The iridescent flake of claim 13 wherein the base layer. is light transmissive. l v n A 1S. The iridescent product of claim lwherein the plastics material of the layers isla thermosetting plastic.

16. The iridescent ake of claim 8 wherein the plastics material o the'layers is a thermosetting plastic.

References Cited inthe le of this patent FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Oct. 27, 1942

Claims (1)

1. AN IRIDESCENT PRODUCT CONSISTING OF A CARRIER BODY AT LEAST PARTIALLY COMPOSED OF LIGHT TRANSMISSIVE PLASTICS MATERIAL, HAVING DISPERSED THERETHROUGH A DESCRETE MEDIUM OF IRIDESCENT MATERIAL IN THE FORM OF A FLAKE, SAID FLAKE BEING CHARACTERIZED AS COMPRISING A BASE LAYER OF A SOLID MATERIAL PRESENTING AN UPPER AND A LOWER SURFACE, AT LEAST ONE OF SAID SURFACE HAVING THEREON A MINIMUM OF TWO METALLIC FILMS ONE OF WHICH IS LIGHT TRANSMISSIVE AND AN INTERPOSED LAYER OF A LIGHT TRANSMISSIVE PLASTIC MATERIAL THEREBETWEEN, THE LAYERS AND FILMS BEING SO ARRANGED AS TO HAVE A LIGHT TRANSMISSIVE LAYER AND A LIGHT TRANSMISSIVE FILM JUXTAPOSED ON A SURFACE OF THE FLAKE, THE SUBSTANCES OF THE LAYERS, FILMS AND CARRIER BODY BEING SO CHOSEN THAT THEY DO NOT BECOME INTERFUSED DURING MANUFACTURE.

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