An Overview Of Fluorescent Pigments

Meaning of Fluorescent Pigments

Compared to conventional pigments (also known as colorants), the ones which can be stimulated by light to give more brilliant and brighter colors are known as fluorescent pigments. They are also sometimes known as UV fluorescent pigments since UV light is responsible for this type of brilliance.

Colorants add color to our world, whether in the publications we buy, the packaging on the products, the plastics that we use, or the coating and paints on our homes.

The importance of colors is quite obvious, as they bring vibrance and charm to things. Pigments with fluorescent properties are typically used wherever it is important to catch someone's attention. When we talk about packaging, there are even more important uses. For instance, the safety wear worn by construction workers should be easily noticeable by the drivers.

Fluorescents bring the kind of exceptional ‘pop’ to products on which they are applied. These types of colorants and dyes get activated by light, which makes colors more brilliant and brighter.

Fluorescent Pigments: A Comprehensive Guide

Many pigment making companies offer a wide range of fluorescent colorants to suit various end use applications. There are so many options ranging from fine particle water-based emulsions, water-based dispersions, soluble toners for either solvent or water inks, or paste ink bases.

Fluorescent colorants are available in many different colors, but the type of polymer used to manufacture them is what sets them apart. In essence, fluorescent pigments are dyes in solid form. In the absence of the polymer, the dyes are incapable of fluorescence in any application.

Industries manufacturing these colorants try to make polymers that help the dyes to remain fluorescent and bright and still work in so many types of applications of pigments such as inks, plastics, coatings, etc. Different types of manufacturing techniques are used to make different polymers to impart properties such as thermal stability, solvent resistance, etc.

What is the manufacturing process of fluorescent colors?

Some colorants are made of formaldehyde, while others do not. A pigment's chemical composition ultimately depends on the end use application's most important properties. When we compare formaldehyde and non-formaldehyde colorants, the former tends to have better migration resistance and, in some types, better solvent resistance. The former colorant, i.e., formaldehyde, is also lower in cost and is thus more cost-effective. It is up to users to determine what pigment is appropriate for their application and what performance requirements it must meet.

The fluorescence emitted by a molecule will be of the same wavelength of light due to its consistency at certain energy levels. Different wavelengths correlate to different types of color, and so a particular type of color will be visible for a set of molecules. In addition to being independent of the wavelength of light absorbed, this color is also due to vibrational relaxation and internal conversion.

In everyday vernacular language, fluorescence and luminescence are often used interchangeably. However, the former is a type of luminescence, particularly a type of photoluminescence. Various other types of luminescence include phosphorescence, a kind of chemiluminescence, and photoluminescence.

Read More: A Brief Look at Pigments through the Ages