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These resources have been reviewed and selected by STEM Learning’s team of education specialists for factual accuracy and relevance to teaching STEM subjects in UK schools.

Black Light Pigments

This short film from the Technology Enhancement Programme (TEP) is one of a series of clips which were produced to demonstrate the properties and use of a range of smart materials.

Black light pigments are microencapsulated materials that are specifically formulated to absorb UV radiation at the near-invisible end of the spectrum (hence ‘black light’) and re-emit the absorbed energy as visible light of various colours. The pigments appear almost white in daylight/sunlight but in black light they glow in bright colour. The pigments have a number of applications including security marking of banknotes.

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