This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Some of the world's brightest colors don't just reflect light; they create it. Scientists and museum conservators are now uncovering why these luminous pigments fade and how to preserve them for future generations.
The findings could help protect artwork while informing the development of longer-lasting phosphorescent materials for a variety of applications, from fashion runways to airport runways. 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. Most paints and dyes are seen because they bounce visible light back to our eyes.
Fluorescent and glow-in-the-dark pigments are different: They absorb light and give it back as a vivid glow. This produces the attention-grabbing visual effects found in pop art, fashion, traffic signage and the glowing stars that many people stick to their bedroom ceilings as children. Over time, however, these bright materials break down.
As the colors become duller, the artwork loses some of the oomph initially intended. "For artists, the effect isn't simply cosmetic, because they intentionally use these colors for their visual impact," says photochemist Sarah Schmidtke Sobeck, professor of chemistry and dean for faculty development at The College of Wooster. "Artists have always been attracted to bright, emissive colors," says 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's palette." Because fluorescent and phosphorescent materials attract attention and improve visibility, they're also important parts of safety signs and markings. By understanding how these materials break down over time, Sobeck and Smith want to help manufacturers develop products that stay brighter longer, such as luminescent paint for airplane runways. The duo has spent years studying daylight fluorescent and phosphorescent pigments through a collaboration that began 10 years ago when they met at a cultural heritage science conference in Maine.
Their work initially centered on testing light emission from samples in the Indianapolis Museum of Art at Newfields' Stephen Sprouse collection, which features fashion with bold fluorescent colors and attention-grabbing designs. For Sobeck's presentation at ACS Fall 2026, she will share new findings from her studies of glow-in-the-dark phosphorescent pigments. For this research, Sobeck and colleagues first identified what the materials are made of.
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