Colored articles and compositions and methods for their fabrication

A composite article which is a fiber comprising a first composition and a second composition, the first composition comprising a solid first matrix component having a non-liquid particle scattering colorant dispersed therein, and a second composition comprising a solid second matrix component having an electronic transition colorant, dye or pigment dispersed therein;

• the first composition being either disposed on and substantially exterior to the second composition on at least one side of the article or the first and second compositions are substantially mutually interpenetrating;
• wherein the first composition forms a fiber sheath that substantially covers a core that is the second matrix composition;
• wherein there exists at least one incident visible light wavelength and one incident light angle such that the first composition absorbs less than about 90% of the light incident on the article;
• wherein the absorption coefficient of the first composition is less than about 50% of that of the second composition at a wavelength in the visible region of the spectrum;
• wherein the highest absorption peak of the particle scattering colorant does not fall in the visible region of the spectrum;
• and wherein either (a) the particle scattering colorant has a refractive index that matches that of the first matrix component at a wavelength in the visible region of the spectrum and has an average particle size of less than about 2000 microns or (b) the average refractive index of the particle scattering colorant differs from that of the first matrix component by at least about 5% in the visible wavelength range, the average particle size of the particle scattering colorant in its smallest dimension is less than about 2 microns, and the particle scattering colorant, when dispersed in a colorless, isotropic liquid having a substantially different refractive index, is characterized at visible wavelengths as having an effective maximum absorbance that is at least about 2 times the effective minimum absorbance.