Everyday Chemistry - How glow paints work?

Gone are the days when the walls and ceilings of your home were painted in the same 2 - 3 shades available. As kids, we wanted our room to be painted with cartoon characters, be it Winnie the Pooh or Mickey Mouse. But instead of sticking boring glow stickers on the wall, how about painting it with paints that glow?

How do these paints glow?

Glow paints do not contain light in them. But they do have a pigment known as phosphor that makes them glow in the dark. Phosphor has got a tendency to accumulate light energy like that from the sun and when it's dark, it glows. When phosphor comes in contact with sun or any other form of light it absorbs the photons and later in the dark, the paint emits these photons. The photons thus released emit a phosphorescent glow. This process is known as photoluminescence.

In such paints, generally an acrylic paint is used as the base and hence the paint may look a little thick compared to normal paints. Besides painting the walls of your room or your kid's room, you can use these paints for craft work as well.

But remember, you need to cover your face while mixing the powder to make it paint as accidental inhalation can irritate your lungs.

When glow paints were first introduced, they were made using radioactive materials making it toxic and harmful to the health. But now, with advances in technology, glow paints have improved and do not involve any radioactive elements.

Also, it is easy to maintain the glow paints. Most glow paints are washable and hence in case your wall gets dirty, all you need to do is wipe the wall gently with a dry cotton cloth.

And yes there are types in these paints too...

Glow paints are available in two types; day paint and night paint. Daytime paints are clear and display the colour that is beneath it while the night paints are the ones that emit photons and glow in the dark. So next time you are about to paint your home, see if you can use these paints to make it a little more exciting!