阅读说明：本技术 结构着色的丝以及用于制造和使用结构着色的丝的方法 (Structurally colored filaments and methods for making and using same ) 是由 杰里米·甘茨 王袁敏 于 2020-03-11 设计创作，主要内容包括：本公开内容涉及具有赋予结构颜色的光学元件的物体。本公开内容提供了包含赋予光学效应(例如,结构颜色、金属色外观或虹彩色外观)的光学元件或其片段的丝(结构颜色丝或“SC”丝),其中光学元件被无规地分散在整个SC丝上以及被无规地分散在SC丝的表面上。(The present disclosure relates to objects having optical elements that impart structural colors. The present disclosure provides filaments (structural color filaments or "SC" filaments) comprising optical elements or fragments thereof that impart an optical effect (e.g., structural color, metallic color appearance, or iridescent appearance), wherein the optical elements are randomly dispersed throughout the SC filaments and randomly dispersed on the surface of the SC filaments.)

1. A method of manufacturing Structural Color (SC) filaments, comprising:

melting more than one structurally colored article to form a first molten material comprising more than one optical element or fragment thereof dispersed therein, each structurally colored article comprising a thermoplastic material and the more than one optical element or fragment thereof; and

extruding the first molten material to form the SC filament, wherein the SC filament comprises dispersed more than one optical element or fragment thereof, and the dispersed more than one optical element or fragment thereof imparts the SC filament optical effect.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the optical element of each structurally colored article is a coating on the structurally colored article.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the structurally colored article is a pellet.

4. The method of claim 1 or 3, wherein the structurally colored article is a ground, pulverized, or shredded structurally colored article.

5. The method of claim 1, 2 or 4, wherein the ground, comminuted or shredded structurally colored article is a film or sheet.

6. The method of claim 1, 2 or 4, wherein the ground, comminuted or shredded structurally colored article is a ground structurally colored container.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the optical elements and fragments thereof are layered structures having two or more layers stacked in the z-dimension, wherein the optical elements and fragments thereof have a width in the x-dimension, a length in the y-dimension, and a thickness in the z-dimension, wherein the thickness of the more than one optical elements and fragments thereof dispersed in the filament is less than 10 percent less than the thickness of the more than one optical elements and fragments thereof on the structurally colored article.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the width and length of the portions of the more than one optical element and segments thereof dispersed in the filament is at least 5 percent less than the width and length of the more than one optical element and segments thereof of the structurally colored article.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the optical element on the structurally colored article is a structurally colored coating covering at least 25 percent of the total surface area of the structurally colored article.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the portion of the more than one optical element and fragments thereof dispersed in the filament is more than one fragment formed by grinding, shredding, chopping, melting, or a combination thereof of the structurally colored article.

11. The method of claims 1-10, wherein the more than one optical element and fragments thereof comprise at least 5 percent by weight of the total weight of the filament.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises processing the structurally colored polymeric material prior to the melting, wherein processing comprises grinding, chopping, cutting, or pulverizing.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein a portion of the more than one optical element and fragments thereof are not structurally degraded during melting, extrusion, or both, such that they do not impart the optical effect.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein a portion of the more than one optical element and fragments thereof are structurally degraded during melting, extrusion, or both, such that they do not impart the optical effect.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the optical effect is a structural color and is not an iridescent or metallic color.

16. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming a fiber or yarn, wherein the fiber or yarn comprises the SC filaments.

17. The process of claim 16, wherein the yarn is a monofilament or multifilament yarn.

18. The method or article of any of the preceding claims, wherein the yarn is a spun yarn comprising more than one staple fiber formed by cutting or chopping the SC filaments.

19. The method of claim 1, further comprising forming the structurally colored article by:

processing a polymer-based article comprising at least one optical element to form a piece of the polymer-based article, wherein the optical element imparts a first optical effect to the polymer-based article, wherein a portion of at least one optical element is ground or cut into segments of the optical element, wherein a first portion of the piece of polymer-based article retains a property that imparts the first optical effect;

melting a piece of the polymer-based article to form a second molten material; and

extruding the second molten material to form the structurally colored article comprising the optical element and fragments thereof, wherein a portion of the optical element, fragments thereof, or both imparts a second optical effect to the structurally colored article;

wherein the optical effect is the same as the first optical effect, the optical effect is the same as the second optical effect, or the optical effect, the first optical effect, or the second optical effect is the same, or

Wherein the optical effect is different from the first optical effect or the optical effect is different from the second optical effect.

20. A method of manufacturing an article of footwear, apparel, or athletic equipment, comprising:

forming the article of footwear, the article of apparel, or the article of athletic equipment from the SC filament of claim 1.

Background

Structural color is caused by the physical interaction of light with micro-or nano-features of surfaces and bulk materials, in contrast to the color resulting from the presence of dyes or pigments that absorb or reflect light of a particular wavelength based on the chemical nature of the dye or pigment. Color from dyes and pigments can be problematic in many respects. For example, dyes and pigments and their related chemicals used in the manufacture and incorporation into finished products may not be environmentally friendly.