Bright afterglow illuminator made of phosphorescent material and fluorescent fibers

Phosphorescent oxides and fluorescent dyes were used together to create a fiber-type illuminator that glows in the dark without the need for electric power. Dye-doped polymer fibers, which were bundled at one end, were linearly arrayed in a polysiloxane resin that contained phosphorescent oxide particles. The phosphorescent resin continued to glow for a long time even after the excitation light was removed. Organic dyes in a polymer fiber were excited by the phosphorescence and emitted fluorescence toward the fiber end. Fluorescence from a number of dyes was combined in the long fiber, and, consequently a bright light beam emerged from the fiber end. Useful performance, i.e., high power density, narrow beam divergence, and long afterglow, is demonstrated by the prototype fiber illuminator.