Matrix effects on the photochemical fatigue resistance of fulgide-doped polymers

Fulgide Aberchrome 670-doped polymer films are studied. The closed form of this chromophore presents a maximum of absorption centered at about 525 nm and is formed upon irradiation of its colorless open form at 365 nm. We have determined the photoreaction rate constants, kUV and kVIS, respectively, for the coloring and bleaching processes. It was found that photochemical fatigue of fulgide doped in the mixture of a cyanoacrylate adhesive with 10% of dioctoepoxy monomer is essentially absent after 40 UV/visible irradiation cycles. We thus report, for the first time, a simple and rapid preparation of dye-doped polymer films in a solvent-free process that shows significant improvements in fatigue behavior. Our previous investigation of conventional polymer matrices prepared by gravity deposition of dilute dye-polymer solutions found losses of 9, 11, 13, and 35% after only 8 UV/visible irradiation cycles, respectively, in polystyrene (PS), cellulose acetate (CA), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), and polyvinyl carbazole (PVK).