Luminous Paint

n (ca. 1889) Paint which exhibits fluorescence. (1) Fluorescent paint – contains pigments which are capable of absorbing energy from the blue or ultraviolet end of the spectrum and reemitting it in the form of light in the visible wavelengths. A fluorescent paint ceases to “glow” if the activating source is removed. (2) Phosphorescent paint – contains pigments (phosphors) which absorb energy at one wavelength and emit it over a period of time, in the form of light at a longer wavelength in the visible spectrum. It differs from a fluorescent paint in that it continues to glow after the stimulating source has been removed. (3) Radioactive or self-luminous paint– normally, this is a phosphorescent paint containing a portion of radioactive compounds, and in such a paint the phosphor is permanently activated by absorbing energy from the bombardment by the radioactive rays and emits light in the visible spectrum. (Paint/coatings dictionary. Federation of Societies for Coatings Technology,...