Structurally-colored articles and methods for making and using structurally-colored articles

Abstract

One or more aspects of the present disclosure provide components for an article of manufacture, having a film with an optical element that imparts a structural color to the component. The present disclosure also provide methods for making components with the films and optical element, and articles of manufacture including the component.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An article of footwear, apparel, or sports equipment, comprising:
 a film forming at least a portion of a component of the article, the film having a first film surface, a second film surface opposing the first film surface, and a film core between the first film surface and the second film surface, wherein the first film surface or the second film surface or the film core or any combination thereof include a film polymeric material, wherein the first film surface forms an externally-facing surface of the component or an internally-facing surface of the component; and   an optical element disposed on the first film surface, wherein the optical element has a first side and a second side opposing the first side, wherein the first side and the second side of the optical element impart structural color,   wherein the first side of the optical element imparts a first structural color to the first film surface of the article and the second side of the optical element imparts a second structural color to the second film surface of the article, wherein the first structural color differs from the second structural color, wherein one of the first structural color and the second structural color is iridescent.   
     
     
         2 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein one of the first structural or the second structural color is not iridescent and has at least one hue. 
     
     
         3 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the optical element comprises a multilayer reflector, wherein the multilayer reflector has at least two layers, including at least two adjacent layers having different refractive indices, and at least one of the layers of the multilayer reflector has a thickness that is about one-fourth of the wavelength of visible light to be reflected by the optical layer structure to impart one of the first structural color or the second structural color. 
     
     
         4 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the optical element comprises a multilayer filter, wherein the multilayer filter destructively interferes with light that impinges upon the article so that a single wavelength of light, or a particular range of wavelengths of light makes up one of the first structural color or the second structural color. 
     
     
         5 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the film is transparent or translucent. 
     
     
         6 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the optical element comprises 2 to 10 optical layers. 
     
     
         7 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the first film surface forms the externally-facing surface of the component, and the first side of the optical element is disposed on the first film surface or a second side of the optical element is disposed on the second film surface. 
     
     
         8 . The article of  claim 7 , further comprising a primer layer disposed between the first side of the optical element and the component, or on the internally-facing surface of the component. 
     
     
         9 . The article of  claim 8 , wherein the primer layer and the second side of the optical element impart the second structural color. 
     
     
         10 . The article of  claim 1 , further comprising a textured surface on the first side of optical element, on the second side of the optical element, on the first film surface, on the second film surface, on an internally-facing surface of the component, on an externally facing surface of the component, or a combination thereof, and wherein the textured surface combined with the first side of the optical element, the second side of the optical element, or both, impart the first structural color or the second structural color. 
     
     
         11 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the component is at least a portion of a sole of an article of footwear, and the externally-facing surface of the component forms an externally-facing surface of the sole. 
     
     
         12 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the component is a plate for an article of footwear, and the externally-facing surface of the plate includes a plurality of traction elements. 
     
     
         13 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the component is a plate for an article of footwear, and the externally-facing surface of the component forms a ground-facing surface of the plate. 
     
     
         14 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the component is a plate for an article of footwear, and a second surface of the plate includes a plurality of traction elements. 
     
     
         15 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the component is a plate for an article of footwear, and a second surface of the component forms a ground-facing surface of the plate. 
     
     
         16 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the optical element contains no pigments and no dyes. 
     
     
         17 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein one of the first structural color or the second structural color is limited to one, two or three hues selected from a hue group, wherein the hue group is selected from the group consisting of cyan, indigo, violet, blue, blue-green, or purple green. 
     
     
         18 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein one of the first structural color or the second structural color produced by optical element is a single-hued color. 
     
     
         19 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein a first optical layer of the optical element comprises titanium dioxide, wherein a second optical layer of the optical element comprises silicon dioxide, and wherein the first layer and the second layer are adjacent one another. 
     
     
         20 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein one of the first structural color or the second structural color is a multihued structural color that changes between 2-4 hues as the angle of observation or illumination changes by 15 degrees or more.