The aim of this work was to test and tailor new sol gel derived hybrid polymer coatings for the incorporation of photochromic spirooxazines and chromenes. The development and optimisation of work was performed via two different routes (dye and matrix ones), that led to photochromic multi-layer coating systems with coloration depth and photostabilities comparable to commercially available products. Hybrid sol-gel derived polymers were found to be suitable host materials for photochromic dyes. Matrix properties and the type of entrapment heavily influence the photochromic activity, as well as the degradation rate and the kinetics of incorporated dyes. Dyes incorporated within more polar and rigid matrices were found to show slower kinetics and higher coloration but associated with faster photodegradation. On the other hand, hosts with less polar sites, low residual water concentration and low rigidity are preferable in terms of photostability. Significant differences were found for physically incorporated and covalently grafted chromophores. Using silylated dyes that can participate in the sol-gel process, the photodegradation rate of the whole system can be decreased as compared to the physically entrapped systems. The higher photostability and slower kinetics for covalently bonded photochromes is probably due to sterical hindrance. Addition of proper stabilisers increases the photostability: The employment of UV light stabilisers, excited state quenchers and HALS was found to be beneficial but not sufficient. Besides the presence of stabilisers, also the reduction of oxygen migration into the coating (by a hard top coat and an inorganic anti reflective coating) strongly increases stability of photochromes. Finally, it was found that the separation of photochromes within two (or more) different layers leads to a further improvement of the coloration and fatigue behaviour of the whole coating stack, presumably by preventing the contact of dye molecules with excited states of other molecules or their degradation products. These latter findings are considered to pave the way for stable photochromic coatings based on hybrid polymers. Future development should be directed towards more photostable yellow and red switching dyes. The results of the present investigations should help to choose the most suitable molecular environments for the tested photochromes in terms of photostability, kinetics and activity, which is considered relevant with respect to potential applications, in particular in the ophthalmic sector. Furthermore, the interesting combination of properties of this type of materials offers a large potential with regard to many applications, such as coatings for sunglasses, radiation protectors, filters, sunroofs, reversible markings, printing applications and smart textiles. / Das Ziel dieser Arbeit war es, neue, über das Sol Gel Verfahren hergestellte Beschichtungsmaterialien zu entwickeln, die als Matrices für photochrome Spirooxazine und Chromene geeignet sind. Die Entwicklungs- und Optimierungsarbeit erfolgte über zwei Routen (Farbstoff- und Matrix-Rout) und führte zu komplexen photochromen Mehrschichtaufbauten, deren Einfärbungs und Photostabilitätseigenschaften mit kommerziell erhältlichen Produkten vergleichbar sind. Über das Sol-Gel Verfahren hergestellte hybride Polymere stellen geeignete Wirtsmaterialien für photochrome Farbstoffen dar. Die Eigenschaften der Matrix und die Einbauweise beeinflussen sowohl die photochrome Aktivität, als auch die Degradationsgeschwindigkeit und Kinetik der eingebauten Farbstoffe. Farbstoffe integriert in rigide Matrices höherer Polarität zeigen geringere Schaltgeschwindigkeit und stärkere Einfärbung, jedoch verknüpft mit höherer Degradationsgeschwindigkeit. Andererseits Matrixmaterialien mit eher unpolarem Charakter, niedriger Konzentration an Restwasser, und niedriger Rigidität sind zu bevorzugen, wenn gute Photostabilität erreicht werden soll. Wesentliche Unterschiede bestehen zwischen chemisch angebundenen und physikalisch eingebauten Farbstoffen. Durch den Einsatz von silylierten Farbstoffen, die am Sol Gel-Prozess partizipieren können, kann eine Verringerung der Photodegradationsgeschwindigkeit im Vergleich zu physikalisch eingebauten Farbstoffen erreicht werden. Höhere Photostabilität und langsamere Schaltkinetikt sind vermutlich auf sterische Hinderung zurückzuführen. Der Zusatz geeigneter Stabilisatoren erhöht die Photostabilität: Der Einsatz von UV Stabilisatoren, Excited State Quenchern und HALS ist vorteilhaft aber nicht ausreichend. Neben der Präsenz von Stabilisatoren, führt auch die Verringerung der Sauerstoffpermeation (durch eine harte Deckschicht und eine reflexionsmindernde PVD Beschichtung) zu einer Stabilitätserhöhung. Schließlich wurde gefunden, dass die räumliche Trennung der Farbstoffe in zwei (oder mehr) unabhängigen Schichten ebenfalls die Färbetiefe und Photoresistenz der Beschichtungen erhöhte, vermutlich dadurch, dass der Kontakt von Farbstoffmolekülen mit angeregten Zuständen anderer Moleküle oder ihren Degradationsprodukten verhindert oder zumindest eingeschränkt wird. Diese Befunde können den Weg für stabile photochrome Beschichtungen auf de Basis von Hybridpolymeren ebnen. Weiterer Optimierungsbedarf wird in den bisher erzielbaren Farbtönen gesehen. Zukünftige Entwicklungen sollten sich auf photostabilere gelb und rot schaltende Farbstoffe konzentrieren. Die Ergebnisse der vorgelegten Untersuchungen können bei der Auswahl der am besten geeigneten, molekularen Umgebung für erprobte Photochrome in Bezug auf Photostabilität, Kinetik und Aktivität helfen. Dies ist von großer Bedeutung im Hinblick auf mögliche Anwendung vor allem im ophthalmischen Bereich. Darüber hinaus bergen die interessante Eigenschaftskombinationen dieser Art von Materialien großes Potential für ein weites Feld möglicher Anwendungen (Sonnenbrillen, Strahlungsschutz, Filter, Sonnendächer, schaltbare Markierungen, Druck, Textilien).

Ormosils (Organically Modified Silicates) have been used in the past as hosts for various organic molecules. In this work, seven different photochromic dyes most of which belong to the spirooxazine / merocyanine family were doped into thin films that were prepared using several increasingly inorganic Ormosil formulations. These dyes were either physically incorporated into the pores of the film or covalently bound to the matrix via a siloxane substituent. The dyes, which undergo a reversible color change upon irradiation, are relatively stable, although they will ultimately degrade after prolonged exposure to ultraviolet irradiation. This work focuses on identifying the variables that influence the rate of dye degradation, including rigidity of the Ormosil matrix, wavelength of irradiation, and the presence of oxygen. The silylated dyes, which are generally regarded as having reduced mobility within the pores of the Ormosil, degraded more slowly, suggesting a link between stability and rotational and translational freedom. Irradiation wavelength also affected dye stability in that limiting exposure to wavelengths in the near UV (and eliminating visible light) causes the least degradation. This is attributed to the photostability of the photomerocyanine isomer. Finally, the presence of oxygen was shown to cause dramatic enhancement in degradation. The mechanisms of each of these effects are discussed.

University, Diss., 2005--Würzburg. / Erscheinungsjahr an der Haupttitelstelle: 2004.

Light stabilisation of photochromic dyes is seen as the most challenging part in the development of photochromic dyes. The aim of this research is to compare stabilisation methods and their effect on the lifetime of a photochromic print on textile. The vision is to create a textile UV-sensor that detects current UV light exposure in the surroundings and alarms the wearer by showing colour. The developed inks have been formulated for ink-jet printing as a novel production method with resource saving properties. UV-LED light curable ink formulations were prepared for two dye classes; a non-commercial spirooxazine, a commercial spirooxazine (Oxford Blue) and a commercial naphthopyran (Ruby Red). Two different stabilisation methods were applied; chemically by incorporation of hindered amine light stabilisers and physically by polyurethane coating. Fatigue tests were performed to evaluate and compare the stabilisation methods. The tests included were household washing, multiple activations and intensive sun-lamp exposure. As a result it was found that Oxford Blue and spirooxazine had an initial better resistance to photodegradation than Ruby Red. The coating reduced the ability of colour development in higher extend for Oxford Blue and spirooxazine compared to Ruby Red. Moreover, the photocolouration increased with the number of activations for Oxford Blue and spirooxazine in particular. In general, the physically stabilised samples showed a better or similar fatigue resistance compared to chemically stabilised samples. On the other hand the results are weak in significance. It is concluded that the developed coating method in combination with further optimising has potential.