Introduction to measurement of color of fluorescent materials Original Research Article

Fluorescent pigments and dyes add brightness and color to our lives, but brightness and light to the consumer can spell difficulties in color matching and formulation for a manufacturer. While fluorescent pigments have been used for many years, the proper formulation and quality control of colored materials containing them has been a challenge, primarily due to lack of proper instrumentation to make the necessary measurements. Another difficulty has been a general lack of understanding of how such materials achieve fluorescence. This paper, and those also published in this section, are intended to present an overview of the general principles associated with measuring fluorescent color. It addresses the chemistry and physics of what causes fluorescent pigments to work and gives some examples of applications for the pigments. Considerations as to why standard spectrophotometers and colorimeters fail to give completely accurate results in measuring such materials are discussed. After an overview of the effects of different illuminants on fluorescent pigments, I will discuss how geometry of measurement can affect results, and how several national laboratories are making such measurements.