Goniochromatic and sparkle properties of effect pigmented samples in multidimensional configuration

Abstract

The effects of goniochromatism and sparkle are gaining more and more interest for surface refinement applications driven by demanding requirements from such different branches as automotive, cosmetics, printing and packaging industry. The common background and intention in all of these implementations is improvement of the visual appearance of the related commercial products. Goniochromatic materials show strong angular-dependent reflection characteristics and hence a color impression depending on the effective spatial arrangement of illumination and observation relative to the surface of the artifact. Sparkle is a texture related effect giving a surface which is irradiated directionally, like direct sun light, a bright glittering effect, similar to twinkling stars at the night sky. The prototype for this new effect is the Xirallic® pigment of MERCK KGaA, Germany. The same pigment shows in diffuse irradiation, like on a cloudy day, a different visual effect called graininess (coarseness) which appears as a granular structure of the surface. Both effects were studied on especially manufactured samples of a dilution series in pigment concentration and a tonality series with carbon black. The experiments were carried out with the robot-based gonioreflectometer and integrating sphere facilities at Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) in multidimensional configurations of directional and diffuse irradiation. The research is part of the European Metrology Research Program (EMRP), which is a metrology-focused program of coordinated Research & Development (R&D) funded by the European Commission and participating countries within the European Association of National Metrology Institutes (EURAMET). More information and updated news concerning the project can be found on the xD-Reflect website http://www.xdreflect.eu/.