Researchers at the College of Wooster are unraveling the mystery behind glow-in-the-dark pigments to help modern artists working in luminous media preserve their work as close to the original luminosity as possible for future generations to enjoy.
The team behind the illuminating study said their work could lead to longer-lasting phosphorescent pigments and dyes for glow-in-the-dark fashions or other commercial applications. The findings could also help students interested in art pursue careers in chemistry or other scientific disciplines related to the study.
The Attraction and Complications of Glow-in-the-Dark Colorants
Most art, clothing, or commercial items containing paints or dyes appear the color they do because human eyes detect the wavelengths associated with the corresponding color of the visible spectrum. Instead of reflecting visible light, fluorescent glow-in-the-dark paints and dyes absorb light as energy and then emit that energy within a specific wavelength.
As a result, a glow-in-the-dark paint that absorbs blue or white light can emit a red hue. For artists and fashion designers exploring new ways to grab attention, glow-in-the-dark paints and dyes have become a vibrant, though temporary, medium.
“Artists have always been attracted to bright, emissive colors,” explained Gregory Smith, Senior Conservation Scientist at the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields. “They allow you to do exciting things that you just can’t do with a regular pigment on the artist palette.”
Photochemist Sarah Schmidtke Sobeck, Professor of Chemistry and Dean for Faculty Development at The College of Wooster, agreed, noting that for artists trying to convey a message, “the effect isn’t simply cosmetic, because they intentionally use these colors for their visual impact.”
However, Sobeck and colleagues note that the main drawback of these eye-catching materials is their tendency to degrade. Over time, this results in duller or darker colors, and what the researchers described as the artwork “losing some of the oomph” that the glow-in-the-dark pigments initially conveyed. This affects art and fashion and has practical impacts on safety signs on airport runways that rely on glow-in-the-dark colors.
This intersection of chemistry and art motivated Sobeck and Smith to explore ways to extend the lifetime of fluorescent dyes and paints.
Samples From Fluorescent Fashions Unveil Dyes’ Photophysical Properties
Previous studies at Sobeck’s lab had found that optical brighteners, chemical compounds responsible for “enhancing” brightness, degrade faster than other compounds used in typical pigments and dyes. As a result, that work determined that colors appear darker over time even when the pigment molecules responsible for that color remain largely intact.
Working with samples collected from the Indianapolis Museum of Art’s Newfield Stephen Sprouse collection, which, they note, “features fashion with bold fluorescent colors and attention-grabbing designs,” the team began by identifying the composition of the glow-in-the-dark materials.
Next, they tested the materials’ photophysics in the lab. These tests included measuring the glow-in-the-dark pigment’s ability to absorb, store, and emit light. The team also tested how the material’s photophysical properties change as it ages.
The researchers found that many of the phosphorescent materials they tested also contained inorganic compounds and mineral-based pigments, which could contribute to their rapid degradation. Notably, these combinations differed from organic dyes typically found in glow-in-the-dark colorants.
One initial finding the team described as “surprising” was the role prolonged exposure to high humidity can play. Specifically, they note that such exposure “can play an equally important — and sometimes greater — role than prolonged exposure to ambient light in breaking down phosphorescent pigments.”
“Chemistry and Art Can Come Together to Answer Important Questions”
When discussing the study’s initial findings and its potential implications, Sobeck said the information they gleaned will “inform improved storage and exhibition conditions for artworks containing this pigment.” The researchers also said their findings highlight the difficulties of preserving glow-in-the-dark artworks.
“Conservators restoring fluorescent artworks must match colors under both visible and UV light, while the pigments themselves continue to change over time, making long-term restoration difficult,” they explained.
When discussing the benefit to their students, the researchers highlighted the serendipitous collaboration between seemingly diverse fields, and the surprising intersection between chemistry and “nearly any discipline.”
“I’ve been able to establish a lot of different opportunities for students who are pursuing double majors in art history and chemistry, or chemistry students who are really interested in seeing how they can apply their studies to different real-world scenarios,” Professor Sobeck explained. “It shows how chemistry and art can come together to answer important questions.”
The researchers will present their results at the fall meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS) during the “Chemistry Behind Art and Art Conservation” symposium at McCormick Place. ACS Fall 2026 is being held August 23-27.
Christopher Plain is a Science Fiction and Fantasy novelist and has spent the last six years as Associate News Editor and Head Science Writer at The Debrief. Follow and connect with him on X, learn about his books at plainfiction.com, or email him at christopher@thedebrief.org.