12 detailed questions about using glow in the dark powder

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Jeff.Chen

Bachelor's Degree in Materials Science and Engineering, Hubei University of Technology

1. How to choose glow in the dark powder in cosmetics?

Description:Nowadays, the types of cosmetics are more and more, there are light-sensitive color-changing, temperature-sensitive color-changing, even glow-in-the-dark cosmetics can be bought on the market. Want to make glow-in-the-dark cosmetics, glow-in-the-dark powder is an essential material, so what kind of glow-in-the-dark powder can be used in cosmetics?

Answer: If you want to put glow in the dark powder into cosmetics, the safety of luminous powder is very important, the choice of glow in the dark powder must be non-toxic, no irritation to the skin, the luminous powder produced by KingChroma color-changing pigments is very suitable, KingChroma glow in the dark powder has been tested by the national authoritative testing organizations, no irritation to the skin, safe and error-free handling and operation, and does not contain hazardous substances to the human body, it is a new generation of green and environmentally friendly luminous material. A new generation of green and environmentally friendly luminescent materials.

2. Why isn’t my glow in the dark mica powder as bright and long as it should be?

Description: I purchased glow in the dark mica powder from different manufacturers. They said it could emit light for up to 8 hours. However, it only gave light for 1-2 hours after I used it. Is this because the item I bought is of poor quality?

Answer: Before we answer your question, it’s important to clarify some basic concepts about glow in the dark mica powder. The brightness of a material is expressed in cd/㎡ or mcd/㎡. These two units differ by a factor of a thousand. When it comes to measuring the brightness of glow in the dark mica powder, it’s generally done in mcd/㎡.

In simpler terms, the process of glow in the dark mica powder emitting light involves storing the surrounding light and releasing it when there is no light in the surrounding environment. Therefore, if you want the glow in the dark mica powder to shine in the dark, you need an excitation light source to illuminate the glow in the dark mica powder for a period of time.

When the excitation light source stops shining, the luminous brightness of the glow in the dark mica powder reaches its highest point, but it typically doesn’t exceed 20cd/㎡. To put this into perspective, indoor lighting at night is generally around 100-1000cd/㎡.

The brightness attenuation characteristic of glow in the dark mica powder is that it exhibits a cliff-like attenuation within one hour after the excitation light source stops shining. After just 10 minutes, its brightness decreases to only 100-500mcd/㎡. After one hour, it drops to 10-100mcd/㎡, which is only one percent of the initial brightness. In a partially lit room, it would be difficult to see glow in the dark mica powder glowing at this point.

So according to this characteristic, does the glow in the dark mica powder quickly stop emitting light?

Actually, no. The brightness of glow in the dark mica powder rapidly decays for the first hour, but then the rate of decay slows down significantly. After ten hours, it typically maintains a brightness of 2-8mcd/㎡. The weakest light visible to the human eye in complete darkness is 0.32 mcd/㎡, and it usually takes over 10,000 minutes for the brightness of the glow in the dark mica powder to fall below this value.

This means that after the excitation light source stops shining, glow in the dark mica powder can emit light continuously for 10,000 minutes or 166.67 hours. To see the light from the glow in the dark mica powder, it is necessary to be in total darkness at this time. Seeing the glow of the powder after an hour becomes hard when exposed to the surrounding light.

Previously, manufacturers would introduce glow in the dark mica powders that could emit light for 8-10 hours to distinguish them from zinc sulfide powders that only glow for an hour. However, to accurately present and benefit from widespread testing, we now use 1-hour data to highlight the differences between these powders. Additionally, since the unit for indicating the brightness is large (cd/㎡), we typically use a smaller unit (mcd/㎡) to measure glow in the dark mica powders.

Typically, the brightness of glow in the dark mica powder within the first hour ranges between 10-100mcd/㎡, and this brightness varies depending on the particle size and quality level of the product.

3. What are the considerations using glow in the dark pigment for paint?

Description:Recently, I have been using glow in the dark pigment to prepare glow-in-the-dark paint, but had some problems while using the coating, and so suffered losses. What should I notice when preparing and using glow-in-the-dark paint? Please help me.

Answer: Things to notice during the preparation of glow-in-the-dark paint:
1) You need to add diluent and adjust the mixture to a proper concentration;
2) If the glow-in-the-dark panit area is not on a light-colored background, a white background should be added;
3) It should have a proper thickness, such as 100um;
4) Glow-in-the-dark pigment powder is composed of small particles, only mixed in varnish during application, and thus not dissolvable;
5) Particles can affect adhesion. So, t is important to choose a varnish with good adhesion based on the base material;
6) As the glow in the dark pigment powder makes up a large proportion, it must be continuously shaken or stirred to prevent sedimentation.
7) There should be as less contact with metal as possible;
8) In case of water-based coating, remember to require the supplier to waterproof the glow in the dark pigment powder. Otherwise, it will cause losses.
Case: spraying on material surface
Ratio: Varnish: glow in the dark pigment powder = 1:1 (weight ratio). It is better to spray twice (Let the first coating dry before spraying the second time). You can use less or no additive in case of preparation for current use.

4. How to use glow in dark powder to extend its expiration date?

Description: Glow in dark powder is widely used, both indoors and outdoors. How long is it effective, how to store and use it to delay its expiration date? What are the precautions to follow?

Answer: Its expiration date depends on many factors, like composition, quality, and storage conditions. Generally, glow in dark powder for silk-screen printing can be effective for over 5 years.

However, the following should be noticed to ensure the long-term stability and effectiveness of glow in dark powder:

  1. Avoid exposure to direct sunlight, as prolonged exposure may weaken the luminous effect.
  2. Store it in dry environment to keep it free from damp, which may make the powder go lumpy or deteriorate.
  3. Make the pigment container airtight, as the powder will be gradually less active when exposed to air.
  4. Regularly check the state of glow in dark powder. Any lump, discoloration, loss of luminous effect, or other abnormal phenomenon may indicate its loss of effectiveness.
    To sum up, correct storage and use can extend the effective period of luminous powder for silk-screen printing. Properly-stored quality powder can be usually safe to use when no obvious deterioration is found.

5. How to use glow in dark powder can I enhance it?

Description: Our glow in dark powder is recently found not very good for unknown reasons. Do you know any ways to improve the luminous effect?

Answer: You can do the following to improve the luminous effect of glow in dark powder:

  1. Select high-quality glow in dark powder with better purity. The purer the powder, the better the luminous effect. So, it is recommended to use high-quality powder and store it properly to avoid contamination from impurities.
  2. Control the amount used. You should not add too much luminous powder, as it will affect the luminous effect. You need to strictly follow the dosage suggested by the manufacturer.
  3. Use suitable base material. Luminous powder should be added to transparent resin or coating, which should be a proper type, to achieve the best luminous effect.
  4. Increase the light-receiving area. You should coat the luminous material on the object surface, not the interior. You can also apply more layers of coating or extend the illuminated area to improve luminous effect.
  5. Increase the exposure time. The longer time it receives light, the longer its luminous effect will last. You can make it exposed to light for longer time, or use stronger light source to enhance stimulation.

6. Can glow in the dark micro powder be made into glow-in-the-dark security labels?

Description: Glow in the dark micro powder is a kind of pigment that belongs to a special color-changing pigment, which can’t be seen in bright places, but in going to dark places you will find that it not only changes color, but also glows. Can glow in the dark micro powder be used to make anti-counterfeit labels?

Answer: KingChroma glow in the dark micro powder can be used in a variety of transparent or translucent media. Such as plastics, paints, glazes, inks, glass, chemical fiber resins, the preparation of luminescent products. Because of its luminous function, it is the most suitable for making glow in the dark anti-counterfeit labels.

7. How to use luminous pigment in ceramic process technology?

Description: Luminous ceramic is a very popular decorative material that is deeply loved and sought after by young people. But sintering ceramic needs oxidative condition. If ordinary luminous pigmentis directly applied, it will be oxidized and lose luminous function. So, how should we deal with it?

Answer: (1) In general, we use 30%-50% high-temperature-resistant luminous pigment, mix it with some transparent paint in 150 degrees centigrade, and then apply the mixture on ceramic surface. This method can protect the said pigment as it does not involve oxidative sintering. But due to the presence of paint, the ceramic will lose its original glaze effect.

(2) High-temperature-resistant luminous pigment is a common pigment. We need to select a proper type of oil-based printing oil as additive according to actual production time, stir it thoroughly (not in metal container to avoid blackening it after long-time application), and fully use 80-mesh screen printing (with better pre-screening effect). If the luminous effect is strong and lasting, we can print it for more times, usually 2-3 times, for better result.

(3) To mix it with frit or transparent glaze, the ratio of high-temperature-resistant luminous pigment to frit or such glaze is generally 1:1, 6:4, or 6:10, which can be adjusted as the case may be.

(4) While sintering such luminous pigment to form finished ceramic, bubble is a common problem. Bubbles are usually a combined result of additives or melting rate and the chemical stability of transparent glaze. You can change the formula ratio or additive, or add defoamer, to eliminate them.

8. How to prepare luminous paint with luminous powder?

Description: I recently bought luminous powder and want to make coating with it. Do you have any relevant experience? How should we do it?

Answer: Luminous coating preparation method:

1. Selection of resin and varnish:

a) Colorless or light-colored, with as higher transparency as possible.

b) As luminous powder is weakly alkaline, the resin selected should be neutral or weakly acidic.

c) Selection of resin or varnish: epoxy resin (E440), polyurethane resin (or varnish), amino varnish, polyester resin (or varnish), acrylic resin (or varnish), hydroxyl acrylic resin, (two-component) acrylic polyurethane varnish, light-colored alkyd varnish, fluorine resin, etc.

2. Selection of luminous powder:

You can choose luminous powder according to application (such as indoor or outdoor, spraying or brushing). The main indicators involved are brightness and particle size.

3. Selection of additives

The additives used in luminous paint mainly are dispersant and anti-settling agent. Dispersant: methyl silicone oil xylene solution, with a concentration of 1%. Anti-settling agent: fumed silica (Note: It is not necessary in case of mixing for current use).

4. Dosage of luminous powder:

You can select the amount of luminous powder according to the required luminous brightness and duration. The recommended ratio is 30-60% (weight ratio). The larger the amount, the higher the brightness.

5. Selection of container:

Proper container can be glass, ceramic, enamel lining, or plastic (Luminous powder should avoid contact with metal)

6. Production process:

Mechanized preparation: use a high-speed dispersion machine or mixer to disperse the luminous powder. Manual preparation: put the resin or varnish into a container, add additives, start stirring, and add anti-settling agent and luminous powder in sequence while stirring (note that the speed then should be slow); after adding the luminous powder, speed up the stirring until the luminous powder is evenly dispersed in the paint; filter the mixture to obtain the luminous paint.

9. Can several colors of glow in the dark powder be mixed together?

Description: Glow in the dark powders are all monochromatic, and I would like to get glow in the dark powders that have different colors to enhance the color and luminous effect. Can I mix several different colors of glow-in-the-dark powders together?

Answer: We recommend not mixing them, why? Because glow in the dark powder is to change color by absorbing visible light, if we add the color, it will affect the light absorbing ability of glow in the dark powder, and also reduce the brightness of glow-in-the-dark powder, so we try not to add other colors. Glow-in-the-dark powder due to different colors, the luminous effect is not the same, so mixed use will lead to some places bright and some places dark, thus affecting the effect of glow-in-the-dark powder!

10. Why does luminous pigment powder glow unevenly in the dark?

Description: Some friends will encounter such a problem, luminous pigment powder bought back in the sunlight for half an hour, but found that the luminous uneven, the effect is not ideal, what is the reason for this?

Answer: In fact, the main reason for uneven luminescence is luminous pigment powder in the sunlight or light irradiation to get the dark environment such as product shaking or flow, not absorbed into the light source part will cover the light part, will lead to see the luminous effect of the luminous places appearing to light up some do not light up. So we should pay attention to fully absorb the light when using luminous pigment powder.

11. What materials are needed to dissolve luminous powder glow in the dark?

Description: Luminous powder glow in the dark is a luminescent powder pigment that can’t be used directly in many cases, and using luminous powder glow in the dark usually requires dissolving it into a liquid. Do you know what materials are needed to dissolve luminous powder glow in the dark?

Answer: The materials that can dissolve luminous powder glow in the dark include unsaturated polyester resin and polyvinyl chloride resin, which are mainly used to process luminous powder glow in the dark nowadays.

12. Is KingChroma glow in the dark color powder radioactive?

Answer: KingChroma glow in the dark color powder sold all are environmental protection glow in the dark color powder, all have no radioactivity, KingChroma glow in the dark color powder is mainly composed of calcium fluoride (CaF2), containing more impurities, Ca is often replaced by Y and Ce and other rare earth elements, in addition to a small amount of Fe2O3, SiO2 and a trace of Cl, O3, He and so on.

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