Fluorescent Brightener Definition & Classification

What Is Fluorescent Brightener?

Optical brightener sometimes called optical brightening agents (OBAs), fluorescent brightening agents (FBAs) or fluorescent whitening agents (FWA) are colorless to weakly colored organic compounds.When present on a substrate, absorb primarily invisible ultraviolet light in the 300-400 nanometer (nm) range and re-emit in the visible violet-to-blue fluorescent light to yield a brighter, fresher appearance.They are designed to brighten colors or mask yellowing in plastics, lacquers, paints, inks, photo-processing solutions and fibers.

Fluorescent Brightener Synonyms

Here we listed the synonym names of optical brightener which we often see and all refers to optical brighteners in most cases

Fluorescent Brightener Classification

1）Fluorescent Brightener Classification by Application

• Fluorescent brightener for detergent

include optical brightener CBS-X,DMS/AMS, CBS-155

• Fluorescent brightener for paper

include Optical brightener PC, BBU/ BBU-L, VBL/VBL-L

• Fluorescent brightener for fiber and textile

include optical brightener 4BK, ER-I/ER-I L, ER-II/ER-II L, EBF/EBF-L, PF / DT, BA, CXT, R4, MST-L, BAC, SWN / AW-L, WGS, NFW

• Fluorescent brightener for plastic

include optical brightener OB, OBR, OB-1, KSN, KCB, KSB, FP-127, CBS-127, PF

• Fluorescent brightener for paint and ink

include optical brightener UVT-1, ST, OEF, RT

2) Fluorescent Brightener Classification by Chemical Structure.

1. Toluylene type, with blue fluorescent light, used in cotton fiber, synthesis fiber, paper, soap industries.

2. Vanilla type, with coumarone structure and strong blue fluorescent light, use in celluloid, PVC plastics.

3. Pyrazoline type, with green fluorescent light, used in wool, polyamide, acrylic fibers.

4. Benzo nitrogen type, with red fluorescent light, used in acrylic fiber, PVC, PS.

5. Phthalimide type, with blue fluorescent light, used in terylene, acrylic fiber, cotton fiber.

3) Plastic Fluorescent Brightener Classification

1. Bisbenzoxazole, chemical structure as below, OB, OB-1, KSN, KCB all belong to this chemical structure

2. Phenyl coumarin, chemical structure as below

3. distyry-biphenyls, chemical structure as below, CBS-X is with this chemical structure