ASTUTE ANALYTICA
Leuco Dye: Important Things to Know
Leuco dyes are colors that can take on two different forms, one of which is colorless. It plays a significant role in the production of some thermochromic dyes, photochromic materials, thermal printer papers, and Flexplay DVDs with a finite playback period.
Expanding the use of leuco dye-based thermochromic inks, particularly in the packaging industry where they provide consumers with a unique and captivating experience. Thus, it is anticipated to boost the market growth. In addition, according to a research report by Astute Analytica, the Global Leuco Dye Market is likely to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.7% over the projection period from 2023 to 2031.
Workings of Leuco Dyes
Leuco colors act differently than conventional colors; they require a unique system or mix of chemicals. This unique combination of components is safeguarded via a technique called microencapsulation. The way the microencapsulation technique operates is that it first removes a tiny droplet from the dye system and surrounds it with a protective wall coating. The photo-micrograph effectively illustrates this process. Microcapsules that contain the entire thermochromic color-changing mechanism. For instance, adding microcapsules to inks causes the ink to exhibit the required thermochromic characteristics.
Characteristics of Leuco Dyes
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Products made with dye come in a wide range of formats. This contains water-based ink, powder, epoxy, masterbatch, and slurry.
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They undergo a color change when heated, and they undergo another color shift when cooled. The fact that dyes are reversible makes them special. With varying temperatures, they alternately change color. It requires a temperature change of 5ºF (3ºC) or less to change color.
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It comes in a wide variety of temperatures and 15 different colors.
Varieties of Leuco dyes
Triarylmethane dyes: The majority of triaryl methane dyes are employed in the creation of different kinds of reproduction paper due to their great application value. Triarylmethane dyes feature vibrant colors and good dyeing properties. They are, however, poorly resistant to light and are quickly stained by alkalis and acids.
Phthalide dyes: This kind of dye is frequently employed as a coloring agent in thermal recording paper and pressure-sensitive material copy paper. One of the most frequent and representative pressure/thermal dyes in the world is 3,3-bis (4-dimethylamino phenyl)-6-dimethylamino phthalide, also known as crystalline violet lactone (CVL). The primary coloring agent for commonly printed blue paper is CVL, which emits a strong blue hue.
Fluorene dyes: The most promising recessive dyes are thought to be those made from fluorene, which is the third generation of thermal/pressure dyes. Fluorescent alkane dyes come in a variety of colors because of the different sorts of groups that can be linked to the parent ring. The most popular recessive dyes are fluorescent alkanes because of their delicate color development, stability, and high intensity in the color development reaction. These chemicals are extensively covered by patents and are mostly utilized in thermal/pressure recording paper. ODB-1, a fluorescent alkane dye that can only create the color black, is one of the most popular ones.
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