Strontium Aluminate Glow Materials
Strontium aluminate is a crystalline compound that requires no electricity to produce a bright, radiant glow. Rather, this photo-luminescent material absorbs UV energy from the sun or artificial light sources to excite the crystals. Based upon formulation, strontium aluminate can produce various hues, intensities, and glow timeframes. This material is regularly added to various media including glass, marble, plastics, and synthetic resins - and is found in a wide array of products.
For our purposes, strontium aluminate can be considered as an LED or black light alternative, in relation to the LBC Project.
Here is a Wikipedia description of strontium aluminate: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strontium_aluminate Links to an external site.
CORE Glow and AGT Products
Considered non-toxic and environmentally friendly, strontium aluminate is sold in various outdoor forms by several companies. These products can be used as is when scattered among rock in a pathway, or embedded in cement and gypsum materials for a flat, walkable surface. The fine grain materials can be mixed with a binder and applied to objects with a paintbrush. Or alternatively these finer materials can be sprinkled onto a sticky surface to bind it (such as resin before it cures).
A company called CORE Glow makes a pure strontium aluminate powder that must be mixed into a clear non-water-based resin, epoxy, or paint. Water will break these pure crystals down, dimming their glow characteristics substantially. Another company, Ambient Glow Technology (AGT), makes an encapsulated product called Glow Sand. This material can be mixed with water based media because it is already sealed from water intrusion. Besides the claimed brightness characteristics offered by these competing companies, their products seem similar. CORE Glow Powder is less expensive than AGT Glow Sand; but as described, cannot be allowed to get wet.
Both CORE Glow and AGT make rock and gravel products that appear essentially identical, though each company describes differing brightness and glow times in detail on their respective websites. Although strontium aluminate is non-toxic, recommended safety gear when working with powders are: gloves, mask and goggles.
Because this material is so radiant and has a luminescence life of over twenty years, it is worth considering as a eco-friendly alternative to LED lights. There is also an aspect of convenience since LED lights require access to an outlet and strontium aluminate does not.
CORE Glow's home page: https://www.coreglow.ca/ Links to an external site.
The Parent Company Core Glow: https://shop.coregravel.ca/collections/core-glow Links to an external site.
How to use CORE Powder: https://www.coregravel.ca/site/assets/files/1018/instructions_for_using_core_glow_powder_2016.pdf Links to an external site.
AGT website: https://ambientglowtechnology.com/ Links to an external site.
GLO Effex website: https://www.gloeffex.com/collections/super-phosphorescent-glow-powder Links to an external site.
Culture hustle website:https://www.culturehustleusa.com/ Links to an external site.