Mitsubishi Materials Corporation

Masahiro Sekiguchi

Toshiharu Hayashi

Akira Nishihara

A low resistance conductive pigment containing indium oxide crystal grains each including a partial amount of Sn. The amount of Sn ranges from about 1 to about 15 mol % relative to the total amount of Sn and In in each of the indium oxide crystal grains. The conductive pigment further includes a specified surface acidity and a specified volume resistivity. The conductive pigment exhibits improved visibility and averages a primary particle size of up to 0.2 .mu.m,. This allows for the manufacture of superior transparent conductive films which can be useful, inter alia, as a transparent electrode in liquid crystal displays and heating elements having transparent surfaces. In one embodiment, ITO crystals undergo an oxygen extraction treatment, while in another embodiment, surface acidity, is increased by a surface modification treatment. The methods of forming conductive pigments, conductive film forming compositions and conductive resin forming compositions are also disclosed.

Low-resistance conductive pigment and method of manufacturing same

An infrared-ray cutoff material having a structure in which tin-doped indium oxide powder (ITO) powder is dispersed in an inorganic or organic matrix. The material can be in the form of a coating on a substrate available by applying a composition comprising ITO powder, a binder (an organic resin and/or a metal alkoxide) and a solvent (an organic solvent, water and/or alcohol) onto the substrate and drying the same. It may also be in the form of a film, a sheet, a fiber or other shape available by forming a composition made by dispersing ITO powder in an organic polymer. The ITO powder should preferably have an x-value of from 0.220 to 0.295 and a y-value of from 0.235 to 0.352 on the xy chromaticity scale, a lattice constant of from 10.110 to 10.160 .ANG., and a minimum cutoff wavelength of up to 1,000 nm. The infrared-ray cutoff material of the present invention is transparent within the visible region and can totally cut off infrared rays of wavelengths ranging from relatively shorter ones.

Growing community of inventors

Saitama-ken, Japan

Masahiro Sekiguchi