TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - CERAMICS AND GLASS - The substrate comprises glass, soda-lime glass or ceramic.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - INORGANIC CHEMISTRY - The microflakes are group IB-chalcogenide particles and/or group IIIA-chalcogenide particles. The atmosphere for processing the precursor layer, is a hydrogen atmosphere, nitrogen atmosphere, carbon monoxide atmosphere, selenium atmosphere or a non-oxygen atmosphere containing chalcogen vapor. The dense film is formed from a precursor layer of microflakes, and a layer in contact with the precursor layer and containing a group IB element, a group IIIA element, a group VIA element, a group IA element, a binary and/or multinary alloy of the preceding elements, and/or a solid solution of copper, indium, gallium, selenium, copper-indium, copper-gallium, indium-gallium, sodium, a sodium compound, sodium fluoride, sodium indium sulfide, copper selenide, copper sulfide, indium selenide, indium sulfide, gallium selenide, gallium sulfide, copper indium selenide, copper indium sulfide, copper gallium selenide, copper gallium sulfide, indium gallium selenide, indium gallium sulfide, copper indium gallium selenide and/or copper indium gallium sulfide.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - METALLURGY - The substrate comprises steel, stainless steel or aluminum. The microflakes are made of a single metal, a binary/ternary alloy of group IB, IIIA elements, or a quaternary alloy of group IB, IIIA and/or VIA elements (preferably sodium, copper-sodium, indium-sodium, gallium-sodium, copper-indium-sodium, copper-gallium-sodium, indium-gallium-sodium, sodium-selenium, copper-selenium-sodium, indium-selenium-sodium, gallium-selenium-sodium, copper-indium-selenium sodium, copper-gallium-selenium sodium, indium-gallium-selenium sodium, copper-indium-gallium-selenium-sodium, sodium-sulfur, copper-sulfur-sodium, indium-sulfur sodium, gallium-sulfur-sodium, copper-indium-sulfur-sodium, copper-gallium-sulfur-sodium, indium-gallium-sulfur-sodium and/or copper-indium-gallium-sulfur-sodium). The microflakes are formed from copper selenide, indium selenide and/or gallium selenide.    TECHNOLOGY FOCUS - POLYMERS - The substrate comprises polymer.