Transition Temperature of Color Change in Thermochromic Systems and Its Description Using Sigmoidal Models.

Background: Symmetric sigmoidal models with four parameters based on an idealized S/Z-shaped curve are commonly used to analyze the optical parameters of thermochromic materials. However, our experimental findings show that this approach leads to systematic errors involving the incorrect estimation of the transition temperature or the possibility of a virtual indication of the hysteresis nature of a reversible thermochromic change. For this reason, we sought to find a five-parameter model that would appropriately avoid this problem.

Inkjet printing and UV-LED curing of photochromic dyes for functional and smart textile applications.

Health concerns as a result of harmful UV-rays drive the development of UV-sensors of different kinds. In this research, a UV-responsive smart textile is produced by inkjet printing and UV-LED curing of a specifically designed photochromic ink on PET fabric. This paper focuses on tuning and characterizing the colour performance of a photochromic dye embedded in a UV-curable ink resin.