Interaction of a spirooxazine dye with latex and its photochromic efficiency on cellulosic paper

Spirooxazine (SO) is a class of important photochromic dyes for many applications, such as anti-counterfeiting printing, reversible memory photo devices and optical switching elements in molecular electronics. Since these dyes are expensive, improving their coloration efficiency in response to photo stimuli is of practical importance. In this study, a spirooxazine dye, 1,3-dihydro-1,3,3-trimethylspiro[2H-indole-2,3'-[3H]naphtha[2,1-b][1,4]oxazine], was dispersed into the substrate of a polystyrene acrylic latex emulsion to obtain a stable photochromic dye loaded latex. The photochromic latex was then applied on cellulose paper, and its coloration efficiency was significantly higher than the control (without the latex). Transmission electron microscope (TEM) observation revealed that the spirooxazine dye was well dispersed into the matrix of the latex particles, which functioned as a carrier/dispersant for the photochromic dye. Other results, including color stability, and fatigue resistance, were also discussed.