Patent ID: 7820088

Claim:
A process for making nanoscale flakes comprising: providing a vacuum deposition chamber containing a deposition surface; providing a release coat source and a flake deposition source in the vacuum deposition chamber, each directed toward the deposition surface; depositing on the deposition surface under vacuum in alternating layers a vaporized polymeric release coat layer from the release coat source and vapor deposited discrete islands of flake material from the flake deposition source to build up in sequence a multi-layer vapor deposit of flake material layers comprising discrete islands of the flake material separated by and deposited on corresponding intervening release coat layers; the release coat layers comprising a polymeric material which was vaporized under vacuum to form a smooth continuous solvent soluble and dissolvable barrier layer and support surface on which each of the layers of flake material is formed; and removing the multi-layer vapor deposit from the vacuum deposition chamber and separating it into nanoscale flake particles by treatment with a solvent which dissolves the release coat layers and yields flakes with smooth, flat surfaces which are essentially free of the release coat material.