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Radioluminescent paint is a self-luminous paint that consists of a small amount of a radioactive isotope (radionuclide) mixed with a radioluminescent phosphor chemical. The radioisotope continually decays, emitting radiation particles which strike molecules of the phosphor, exciting them to emit visible light.
The invention of black light paint is attributed to brothers Joseph and Robert Switzer in the 1930s. After a fall, Robert suffered a severe head injury that resulted in a severed optic nerve. His doctor confined him to a dark room while he waited for his sight to recover.
Radioluminescence is used as a low level light source for night illumination of instruments or signage. Radioluminescent paint is occasionally used for clock hands and instrument dials, enabling them to be read in the dark. Radioluminescence is also sometimes seen around high-power radiation sources, such as nuclear reactors and radioisotopes.
Everyday examples of phosphorescent materials are the glow-in-the-dark toys, stickers, paint, and clock dials that glow after being charged with a bright light such as in any normal reading or room light. Typically, the glow slowly fades out, sometimes within a few minutes or up to a few hours in a dark room. [further explanation needed] [5]
Radium was used to make self-luminous paint from the early 20th century to about 1970. Promethium briefly replaced radium as a radiation source. Tritium is the only radiation source used in radioluminescent light sources today due to its low radiological toxicity and commercial availability.
Videos of eerie noises erupting from the skies have recently surfaced on YouTube, sending people into a panic around the world. The video above shows a particularly frightening episode of this ...
The company did not stop the hand painting of dials until 1947. [3] The company struggled after World War I: the loss of military contracts sharply reduced demand for luminescent paint and dials, and in 1922, high-grade ore was discovered in Katanga, driving all U.S. suppliers out of business except U.S. Radium and the Standard Chemical Company ...
Pressure-sensitive paint (PSP) is a method for measuring air pressure or local oxygen concentration, usually in aerodynamic settings. PSP is paint-like coating which fluoresces under a specific illumination wavelength in differing intensities depending on the external air pressure being applied locally to its surface.