Optical brighteners, also know as fluorescent brightener, optical brightening agents(OBA), fluorescent brightening agent( FBA), Fluorescent whitening agent(FWA).
Optical brighteners operate by the phenomena of fluorescence.
Optical brighteners are dyes that absorb light in the UV and violet region(usually 340‐370 nm) of the EM spectrum and re-emit light in the blue region (typically 420‐470 nm). They are often used to brighten colors or mask yellowing in plastics, paints, lacquers, fibers, fabrics, detergents and paper etc, causing a “whitening” effect, making materials look less yellow by increasing the overall amount of blue light reflected.
Optical brighteners are colorless or slightly colored organic compounds that, in solution or applied to a substrate, absorb invisible ultraviolet light(300-400 nm) and re-emit visible violet-to-blue fluorescent light(400 and 500 nm).
