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LUMENTIFY

Application

Glow-in-the-dark pigments for paints & coatings

Whether wall paint, lacquer system or technical coating – photoluminescent pigments can be integrated into many paint-based systems. What matters is particle size, tinting and compatibility with the binder.

Three jars of glow-in-the-dark paint in green, aqua and pink with brush strokes on dark board

Technology

Technical key points

  • Particle size for coverage and film thickness

    Finer grades can be applied thinner and smoother but glow somewhat less. The right grade depends on the application method and the target film thickness.

  • Water-based or solvent-based systems

    The pigments are SiO₂-coated and therefore hydrolysis-resistant – they can also be used in water-based systems. Water-based and oil-based systems themselves cannot be mixed directly.

  • Substrate and transparency

    The carrier should be as transparent or light as possible: opaque or dark binders absorb brightness. On dark substrates a white primer helps.

  • Loading and application

    Guide value 15–20 % pigment relative to the carrier, 30–50 % in opaque carriers such as white wall paint. Large areas come out more evenly when sprayed – pigment in clear lacquer, in several coats.

Daylight & darkness

How the pigment looks in paint

In daylight you see the pigment's subtle body colour, in the dark its glow colour. Yellow-green and blue-green glow brightest; tinted shades such as orange are stronger in daylight but glow less.

Glow paint in a jar, yellow-green, glowing in the dark
Glow paint in a jar, yellow-green, in daylight
DaylightIn the dark
Glow paint in a jar in daylight and in the dark – drag the slider, choose a colour.

Raw materials

Suitable raw materials & processing

We supply the glowing building block – you process it further. For Paints & Coatings, these raw materials are suitable:

  • Six piles of photoluminescent pigment powder in green, aqua, blue, violet, orange and red, glowing in the dark

    Pigments

    Stir into the binder or clear lacquer; apply by roller or spray, in two to three coats.

  • Fine strontium aluminate glow granules, grainy like sand, in a glass dish and as a small heap, glowing yellow-green in the dark

    Granules

    Broadcast into the fresh coating and seal with a clear, walk-resistant top coat – for floor markings, for example.

In practice

Typical use cases

  • Safety markings in wall and floor paints
  • Decorative lacquer systems
  • Technical coatings with an afterglow function
  • Coatings for escape routes

Why LUMENTIFY

For Paints & Coatings

We know how pigment and binder interact from a wide range of individual requirements and advise you on the particle size and loading that make sense for your system.

Material

Material data at a glance

Key data of our glow pigments. How brightly a product glows in the end depends on carrier, layer thickness, loading and excitation – which is why we clarify this together through sampling in your own system.

Strontium aluminate glow pigments
MaterialEuropium/dysprosium-doped strontium aluminate, inorganic
SurfaceSiO₂-coated and therefore hydrolysis-resistant – even permanently in water
Thermal stabilityGlow pigment 1,100–1,200 °C; from approx. 150 °C use only untinted pigments (light, whitish daylight colour)
Glow coloursYellow-green (base shade, brightest), blue-green, blue; further shades tinted and weaker
Afterglow durationYellow-green, blue-green, blue: more than 10 hours in total darkness, as a faint glow after 1–2 hours
ExcitationUV content (daylight, UV from 365 nm) charges fastest, artificial light more slowly
Guide loading15–20 % relative to the carrier material, 30–50 % in opaque carriers
Ageingaround 5 % loss of brightness over 10 years (empirical value)

Request samples for paints & coatings

Tell us about your application, requirements and quantities – we will get back to you with a technical assessment and the next steps.

You can also reach us directly: +49 151 55687366 info@lumentics.de