Diffuse Reflectance Spectrum Measurement of Thermochromic Material Using UV-Vis DiffusIR™

User Benefits

- Enables evaluation of temperature-dependent color change of thermochromic materials.

Introduction

Thermochromism refers to the phenomenon of temperature- dependent color change in materials. This phenomenon has various causes, including isomerization of the molecular structure and the solid phase-liquid phase transition. Thermochromic materials in which thermochromism occurs are applied as thermal recording paper for receipts and as thermosensitive paints for monitoring anomalous heat generation in industrial equipment. In functional design of the thermophysical properties of thermochromic materials, it is necessary to evaluate the temperature at which color change occurs and the colors before/after the reaction. In-situ measurement of the ultraviolet-visible (UV-Vis) spectrum of powders or coated samples on a substrate under temperature control is possible by using a system consisting of a Shimadzu UV-Vis spectrophotometer equipped with a UV-Vis DiffusIR diffuse reflection accessory (PIKE Technologies), enabling evaluation of changes in the sample color due to temperature. This article introduces an example of diffuse reflectance spectrum measurement when layered polydiacetylene (PDA) on a substrate was heated from 30 ̊C to 250 ̊C at intervals of 10 ̊C.

June 29, 2021 GMT