Orange Red Glow in the Dark Pigment, Water-Based, 30–50μm – KT-GOR-03

Orange Red Glow in the Dark Pigment, Water-Based, 30–50μm – KT-GOR-03

Special Effect Pigments › Glow in Dark Pigment Series › Water-Based Compatible

KT-GOR-03 is an Orange Red phosphorescent glow-in-the-dark pigment in the 30–50μm particle size range, formulated for direct use in water-based systems — a surface-treated strontium aluminate grade that resists the moisture-induced degradation that limits standard glow pigments in waterborne coatings, water-based adhesives, and aqueous craft formulations. The orange-red glow color is among the less common in the Kolortek phosphorescent range, making it useful for applications that require a warm-toned afterglow distinct from the more widely available yellow-green and blue-green options.

Why Water-Based Compatibility Requires a Different Grade

Standard strontium aluminate phosphorescent pigments are moisture-sensitive. Direct contact with water causes hydrolytic attack on the crystal lattice — the mechanism responsible for energy storage and afterglow emission — resulting in reduced glow brightness, shorter afterglow duration, and eventual color degradation. For solvent-based coatings and epoxy resin, this is not a practical concern. For water-based formulations, it is the primary formulation barrier.

KT-GOR-03 uses a protective surface treatment on the strontium aluminate particles that significantly reduces moisture ingress during mixing, processing, and in-service conditions within water-based systems. The treatment allows the pigment to be incorporated into waterborne coatings, latex, and water-based adhesive systems without the rapid performance degradation seen with untreated grades. Long-term stability in a specific water-based system should still be confirmed through bench testing before production specification.

Kolortek Water-Based Glow in Dark Series — 30–50μm Color Range

Note: Rare earth activated strontium aluminate glow pigments in the warm color range (orange, red, pink) typically have shorter afterglow duration and lower initial brightness compared to yellow-green and blue-green grades, which represent the peak efficiency of the strontium aluminate phosphor system. This is a characteristic of the phosphor chemistry across all manufacturers — not a product-specific limitation. Confirm afterglow performance expectations against the TDS before specifying for safety-critical applications.

Technical Specifications

Key Technical Characteristics

Orange-red glow — a distinct color position in the phosphorescent range: Most strontium aluminate glow pigments produce yellow-green or blue-green afterglow — these correspond to the peak efficiency wavelengths of the europium/dysprosium activated aluminate phosphor. Orange-red glow requires different dopant chemistry, which results in lower quantum efficiency compared to the green-family grades. The practical implication is that orange-red glow pigments produce less bright and shorter-duration afterglow per unit weight compared to yellow-green equivalents. For decorative applications where orange-red color is the design requirement, this trade-off is acceptable. For safety or functional applications requiring maximum glow brightness, the yellow-green or blue-green grades deliver better performance.

30–50μm — medium-coarse grade for coating and craft applications: At this particle size, individual glow particles are not typically resolved by the naked eye in standard coating film thicknesses, producing a more uniform distributed glow than the coarser 65–75μm grades. The 30–50μm range balances adequate loading density per unit area with reasonable settling behavior in low-viscosity waterborne systems. In epoxy and craft resin applications, some settling during cure should be anticipated — pour and allow to partially gel before applying surface glow pigment layers if surface concentration is preferred.

Water-based system stability — practical limits: The surface treatment on KT-GOR-03 provides meaningful protection against the moisture sensitivity of the strontium aluminate core, but it does not make the pigment fully impervious to water over extended periods. For aqueous systems with prolonged contact time or elevated temperature, stability testing in your specific formulation is recommended before committing to production. Encapsulation within a cured film significantly improves long-term stability compared to the uncured dispersion state.

Application Range

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why is orange-red glow less bright than yellow-green glow?
A: This is a fundamental characteristic of phosphor chemistry, not a product quality issue. Strontium aluminate activated with europium and dysprosium operates at peak efficiency in the green wavelength range (~520nm for yellow-green, ~490nm for blue-green). These wavelengths also align closely with peak human eye sensitivity in photopic vision conditions. Orange-red emission (~620nm+) requires different dopant configurations that store and release energy less efficiently. Across all phosphorescent pigment manufacturers, orange and red glow grades are inherently less bright and have shorter afterglow duration than the green-family grades. If maximum glow brightness is the priority, specify a yellow-green grade; if orange-red glow color is the design requirement and reduced brightness is acceptable, KT-GOR-03 is the appropriate specification.

Q: Can KT-GOR-03 be mixed with KT-GOY-01 Orange Yellow to adjust the glow tone?
A: Yes — the water-based glow series grades are blend-compatible with each other. Blending KT-GOR-03 Orange Red with KT-GOY-01 Orange Yellow will shift the overall afterglow toward a warmer or cooler orange tone depending on blend ratio. The blend will also shift overall afterglow intensity — the orange yellow grade may have higher efficiency than the orange red, so the blended result will read brighter than pure orange-red alone. Evaluate blend ratios with bench samples before production specification.

Q: Does the surface treatment affect the glow performance of KT-GOR-03 compared to untreated grades?
A: The surface treatment provides moisture protection at a minor cost to initial glow brightness compared to untreated strontium aluminate — the protective coating layer absorbs a small amount of excitation light and slightly reduces emission intensity. In practice, this difference is not significant for decorative applications. For any application where maximum glow performance is critical, request the TDS to review the specific afterglow data for KT-GOR-03 before specifying.

Request Samples or Technical Data

Orange-red glow performance is best evaluated directly in your specific formulation system and under your actual dark-room conditions. Contact Kolortek to request a sample of KT-GOR-03 alongside comparable grades in the water-based glow series, download the TDS with afterglow data, or discuss formulation guidance for water-based coating and craft applications.