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

Abstract

One or more aspects of the present disclosure are directed to bladders that incorporate a multi-layer optical film that impart a structural color to the bladder. The present disclosure is also directed to articles including the bladders having a multi-layer optical film, and methods for making articles and bladders having a multi-layer optical film.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . An article of footwear comprising:
 a footwear upper; and   an inflated bladder comprising:
 a top wall operably secured to the footwear upper; 
 a bottom wall opposite the top wall; and 
 one or more sidewalls extending between the top wall and the bottom wall of the inflated bladder, wherein the top wall, the bottom wall, and the one or more sidewalls collectively define an interior region of the inflated bladder, and wherein the one or more sidewalls each comprise an interior-facing side and an exterior-facing side; and 
   a multi-layer optical film operably disposed on the interior-facing side or exterior-facing side of at least one of the one or more sidewalls, wherein the multi- layer optical film in combination with a colorant imparts a structural color having at least one hue to the one or more sidewalls.   
     
     
         2 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the colorant includes a pigment, a dye, or a combination of pigment and dye. 
     
     
         3 . The article of  claim 2 , wherein the dye is selected from the group consisting of: an anionic dye, a cationic dye, a direct dye, a metal complex dye, a basic dye, a disperse dye, a solvent dye, a polymeric dye, a polymeric dye colorant, and a nonionic dye. 
     
     
         4 . The article of  claim 2 , wherein the colorant includes the dye and a quaternary (tetraalkyl) ammonium salt. 
     
     
         5 . The article of  claim 2 , wherein the dye is an acid dye. 
     
     
         6 . The article of  claim 2 , wherein the pigment is a solid pigment particle selected from the group consisting of: a metal and a metal oxide pigment, a carbon pigment, a clay earth pigment, an ultramarine pigment, and a combination thereof. 
     
     
         7 . The article of  claim 2 , wherein the pigment is selected from the group consisting of: a pearl pigment, a color shift pigment, a hypershift pigment, an interference pigment, and a combination thereof. 
     
     
         8 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the colorant is disposed on the interior-facing side or exterior-facing side of at least one of the one or more sidewalls. 
     
     
         9 . The article of  claim 8 , wherein the colorant is present in a coating disposed on the interior-facing side or exterior-facing side of at least one of the one or more sidewalls. 
     
     
         10 . The article of  claim 9 , wherein the coating is a crosslinked coating can be a matrix of crosslinked polymers including the colorant. 
     
     
         11 . The article of  claim 9 , wherein the colorant is present in a primer layer. 
     
     
         12 . The article of  claim 11 , wherein the primer layer is disposed on the interior-facing side or exterior-facing side of at least one of the one or more sidewalls, and the multi-layer optical film is disposed on the primer layer. 
     
     
         13 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the exterior-facing side or the interior-facing side of the first bladder wall, or the first side or the second side of the multi-layer optical film, or any combination thereof, comprise a textured surface, and a combination of the textured surface and the multi-layer optical film impart the structural color. 
     
     
         14 . The article of  claim 13 , wherein the primer layer is disposed on the textured surface. 
     
     
         15 . The article of  claim 14 , wherein the primer layer is a digitally printed layer, an offset printed layer, a pad printed layer, a screen printed layer, a flexographically printed layer, or a heat transfer printed layer. 
     
     
         16 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the multi-layer optical film comprises: a first layer compositionally comprising a non-oxide metal; and a second layer disposed on the first layer and compositionally comprising a first metal oxide. 
     
     
         17 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the structural color imparted to the one or more sidewalls has a single hue regardless of viewing angle. 
     
     
         18 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the structural color imparted to the one or more sidewalls has the same hue or substantially the same hue when viewed from at least 3 different angles that are at least 15 degrees apart from each other. 
     
     
         19 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the structural color imparted to the one or more sidewalls has two or more hues. 
     
     
         20 . The article of  claim 1 , wherein the structural color has different hues when viewed from two or more different viewing angles that are at least 15 degrees apart from each other.