What is it about?
Light-sensitive molecules have been used commercially for many years. This chapter describes not only what they are, but also the properties that make them industrially useful: in doing so, it defines the what 'industrial photochromism' - or commercially useful light sensitivity - consists of. The chapter reveals how these photosensitive materials are designed, made and used, particularly in connection with spectacles. It also touches on how these types of molecule might be exploited in future.
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Why is it important?
Industrial photochromism is the basis for a multimillion dollar global industry that enhances many people's lives. There is potential, albeit relatively remote in the short term, for it to revolutionise numerous other aspects of life.
Perspectives
I worked on the research and development of photochromic materials during my fifteen years as an employee of James Robinson Ltd / Vivimed Labs Ltd. This included discovering new colorant molecules, improving existing processes to their manufacture or devising new ones, and producing photochromic dyes (plus their intermediates} at the kilo scale for sale across the world. This chapter was written while I was managing R&D groups based in the UK and India who were working on these technologies. The company supplies many companies with photochromic colorants intended for lens manufacture as well as numerous other applications. The chemistry involved in their preparation is very varied and complex, drawing on many types of reaction. Some products require sequences of numerous reactions, upwards of ten or more, and thus entail manufacturing processes that far outstrip many pharmaceuticals in terms of complexity.
Dr Andrew D Towns
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Industrial Photochromism, January 2016, Springer Science + Business Media,
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-31671-0_5.
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