- Visible light has no impact on the beads. The beads should remain a plain, white color when outside for only a few minutes or inside a home. However, as soon as the beads are outside long enough for sunlight to hit them, UV light at a wavelength of 360 nanometers will alter the color of the beads.
- Manufacturers of UV beads utilize two major dyes on each bead. The two dyes are orthogonal, or reactive, against each other. When UV light hits the bead, the energy causes one of the dyes to overpower the other dye. When there is no UV light, the nonreactive dye returns. The nonreactive dye is usually white in color.
- Conjugated chains are the molecular properties of the reactive dye chemical. The reactive dye is made up of a long chain of molecules that react to a certain wavelength of light. The longer the chain, the higher level on the color spectrum will be represented. Hence, for aesthetic purposes, a bead that turns red when exposed to UV light has a thinner conjugated chain than a bead that turns purple.
- Many people wear the beads for aesthetic purposes. If a person has a bracelet made of UV beads, the beads will eventually change color. Buying a piece of jewelry with multiple beads of different conjugated chains will give the jewelry a rainbow-like appearance. However, the beads play a practical role as well. When the beads change color, the person is basically notified that UV light has been hitting both the beads and his body for a few minutes. This helps people realize that it may be time to get out of the sun or apply more sunscreen.
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