Preparation and characterization of organic pigments and their fluorescence properties depending on bulk structure

Fluorescent pigments, based on the optical or electrooptical properties of dyes, are the main component in fluorescent coatings and inks. In this study, three kinds of dyes (Rhodamine B, Light Green SF Yellowish, Coumarin) with four different ratios (2.5 wt%, 3 wt%, 3.5 wt%, 4 wt%) were employed as luminophor, and the melamine-formaldehyde (MF) resin was used as curing resin to prepare fluorescent pigments in different color. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and X-ray diffractometry were carried out to analyze the structure of the fluorescent pigments. Scanning electron microscopy and particle size distribution were used to present the morphology of fluorescent pigments. UV-vis and fluorescence spectrum were used to demonstrate the optical properties. It can be concluded that, coumarin pigments possessed consecutive structure in MF resin while rhodamine B might be the best for the preparation of printing inks among the three kinds of dyes from the view of particle size. The TG results presented that all the pigments showed good thermal stability, which might possess potential application in high speed printing industry.