Mexico. A patent for the creation of photonic pigments that allow to obtain different shades of matte colors as a product of optical effects was granted to the researcher Carlos Israel Aguirre Vélez, of the National Polytechnic Institute (IPN).
As reported by the Notimex website, the specialist of the Center for Applied Research and Advanced Technology (Cicata), Legaria Unit, reported that he developed the project to obtain the degree of doctor in advanced technology.
Aguirre indicated that photonic pigments are produced from synthetic opals in combination with carbon nanoparticles and one of their characteristics is that they do not discolor because they do not work by diffraction or light scattering.
In photonics there are also materials with an optical band gap that does not allow all colors to pass and it is under that physical principle that photonic crystals behave.
Synthetic opals are small spherites whose dimension is about half a micron, which can be made with polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), which is a type of plastic or silica (component of sand).
The researcher indicated that currently all dyes are made with more or less complex chemical compounds and because of this they can absorb certain wavelengths.
The materials used to produce new pigments are not common in the paint industry, but if a methodology is developed later to manufacture paints or inks, the processes will be different from those of other traditional dyes, since only synthetic opals and black carbon are required, he emphasized.
