Scalable Preparation of Photochromic Composite Foils with Excellent Reversibility for Light Printing

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc

E-ISSN: 1861-471x|13|4|457-462

ISSN: 1861-4728

Source: CHEMISTRY - AN ASIAN JOURNAL, Vol.13, Iss.4, 2018-02, pp. : 457-462

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Abstract

AbstractPhotochromic inks for repeatable light‐printed media have attracted increasing attention owing to the fact that they may be widely applied to reduce the consumption of papers and plastics and conserve the environment. Therefore, it is of practical significance to develop convenient photochromic inks with a low cost and on a large scale. In this study, a simple one‐step hydrothermal route was used to prepare tungsten trioxide (WO3) nanoparticles, which were further used to make photochromic inks and transparent photochromic films. The obtained transparent photochromic film could rapidly respond to UV light within tens of seconds, then return to its initial state, with different recovery times at different temperatures, and also exhibit good reversible coloration–bleaching effect. A typical polyethylene terephthalate (PET) foil coated with the photochromic ink could also be repeatedly printed with various patterns and displayed excellent rewritable performance over tens of cycles. This study proposes a simple method for widespread applications of WO3‐based photochromic inks.