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. 2022;10(1):171.
doi: 10.1186/s40494-022-00812-4. Epub 2022 Oct 27.

The light aging behavior of daylight fluorescent paints: a colorimetric, photographic, Raman spectroscopic and fluorescence spectroscopic study

Lukas Reiß  1 , Thomas Prestel  1 , Sarah Giering  2
Affiliations

The light aging behavior of daylight fluorescent paints: a colorimetric, photographic, Raman spectroscopic and fluorescence spectroscopic study

Lukas Reiß et al. Herit Sci. 2022.

Abstract

Daylight fluorescent pigments with their intense color effects have attracted great interest among artists since their market launch in the mid-twentieth century. Since then they have been widely used in the visual arts. The pigments are mainly compositions of organic fluorescent dyes and optical brighteners diluted in an insoluble resin. Due to the susceptibility of the dyes to visible and UV radiation, their lightfastness is comparatively low. This paper presents a comprehensive study of the color and fluorescence changes of daylight fluorescent paints upon exposure in visible light and ultraviolet radiation conducted on mock-ups of commercial daylight fluorescent pigments. The different aging characteristics of the pigments depend on the color tone. They were recorded by means of photographic and colorimetric documentation. In addition, Raman spectroscopy was used to identify the main dyes of the various pigments, even in the complex system of paints, consisting of primer, binder, resin and dyes, and to determine their degradation during aging. Fluorescence spectroscopy revealed that the change in fluorescent color may not only be due to the decrease in dye concentration, but also to the transformation of the original dyes into other fluorescent compounds during light aging. Finally, this paper provides recommendations for the presentation of artworks containing daylight fluorescent pigments.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40494-022-00812-4.

Keywords: Artificial aging; Colorimetry; Contemporary art; DL photography; Daylight fluorescent paints; Dye degradation; Fading; Fluorescence spectroscopy; Raman spectroscopy; UVF photography.

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Conflict of interest statement

Competing interestsThe authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Structures of the pigments, dyes and optical brighteners used as reference materials for Raman spectroscopy; Counter ions for the cationic Rhodamine dyes are not shown
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Exposure chamber for light aging experiments; A rows for lamps in lid, B fans for air ventilation, C data logger
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Color Changes ΔE00 of the samples under VIS aging
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Changes of chroma C* and hue h of the samples under VIS aging; Initial value—indicated by a bigger dot
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
Color Changes ΔE00 of the samples under UV aging
Fig. 6
Fig. 6
Raman band intensity of the main dyes/brighteners of the pigments during VIS aging (left) and UV aging (right): White—Fluorescent Brightener 184, Lemon Yellow/Golden Orange—Solvent Yellow 172, Brick Red/Cyclamen Red—group R1 rhodamines, Violet—unknown violet dye; Raman spectra of Blue and Green were dominated by the bands of the phthalocyanine pigments PB15:3 and PG7
Fig. 7
Fig. 7
DL (top) and UVF (bottom) photographs of the samples under VIS aging (left) and under UV aging (right); a White, b Blue, c Green, d Lemon Yellow
Fig. 8
Fig. 8
Raman spectra of the White sample before aging, after 360 Mlxh VIS aging and after 5.1 kWh/m2 and 16.3 kWh/m2 UV aging (from bottom to top); A Plextol D498, R Rutile, C Calcite, *MSF resin
Fig. 9
Fig. 9
Fluorescence spectra of the Green sample before aging, after 360 Mlxh VIS aging and after 16.3 kWh/m2 UV aging (from bottom to top); A Plextol D498
Fig. 10
Fig. 10
Raman spectra of the Lemon Yellow sample before aging, after 40 Mlxh, 180 Mlxh and 360 Mlxh VIS aging and after 16.3 kWh/m2 UV aging (from bottom to top); A Plextol D498, R Rutile, C Calcite, *MSF resin
Fig. 11
Fig. 11
DL (top) and UVF (bottom) photographs of the samples under VIS aging (left) and under UV aging (right); a Golden Orange, b Brick Red, c Cyclamen Red, d Violet
Fig. 12
Fig. 12
Raman spectra of the Brick Red sample before aging, after 40 Mlxh, 180 Mlxh and 360 Mlxh VIS aging and after 16.3 kWh/m2 UV aging (from bottom to top); A Plextol D498, R Rutile, C Calcite, *MSF resin
Fig. 13
Fig. 13
Fluorescence spectra of the Brick Red sample before aging, after 180 Mlxh, 270 Mlxh and 360 Mlxh VIS aging and after 16.3 kWh/m2 UV aging (from bottom to top)
Fig. 14
Fig. 14
Raman spectra of the Violet sample before aging, after 40 Mlxh, 180 Mlxh and 360 Mlxh VIS aging and after 5.1 kWh/m2 and 16.3 kWh/m2 UV aging (from bottom to top); A Plextol D498, R Rutile, C Calcite, *MSF resin
Fig. 15
Fig. 15
Fluorescence spectra of the Violet sample before aging, after 180 Mlxh and 360 Mlxh VIS aging and after 16.3 kWh/m2 UV aging (from bottom to top); A Plextol D498
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References

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