Fluorescent garden rocks?

Question

Does anyone know what those fluorescent garden rocks are made from? They look and feel like plastic. They are the ones that gather sunlight all day then emit a light at night, usually kind of green in appearance, but could be any color, sort of like the glow sticks you get at fairs and carnivals. Im doing a research project and need to know all I can about the material used to make those rocks. Im not talking about actual rocks that fluoresce, such as phosphorous or adamite, but the ones that look and feel like plastic.

Answer 1

Not much info available on this product



Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Technical Field

The invention of the present application relates to a luminous or fluorescent artificial stone composition. More specifically, the invention of the present application relates to an artificial stone composition which has a night decorativeness, a luminousness, such as a luminescence and a light-emitting property, accompanied by ultraviolet absorption and which is useful in a building material or a sight material as a direction indicator or a position guide using light in dark surroundings.

Inventor(s)
Mieko Sakai



Assignee
Doppel Co., Ltd



Application
No. 180330 filed on 1998-12-31

Current US Class
252/301.35 , Synthetic resin containing 252/301.34 , Natural resin, cellulose, or derivatives containing 252/301.36 , INORGANIC LUMINESCENT COMPOSITIONS WITH ORGANIC NONLUMINESCENT MATERIAL 252/301.4F Group IV element containing

Field of Search
252/301.34 , Natural resin, cellulose, or derivatives containing 252/301.35 , Synthetic resin containing 252/301.36 INORGANIC LUMINESCENT COMPOSITIONS WITH ORGANIC NONLUMINESCENT MATERIAL

Examiners
Primary: C Melissa Koslow



Attorney, Agent or Firm
Wenderoth, Lind, & Ponack, LLP.



Foreign Patent References
60-137862 JP Jul., 1985
483891 EP May., 1992
58-1759 JP Jan., 1983

Answer 2

I'm afraid I cannot answer yor question properly, I'm also interested in that kind of material, looking for a paint or paper that had that property. I think you are referring to phosphorescence (not fluorescence see : http://www.glassner.com/andrew/cg/research/fluphos/fluphos.htm )

maybe you are looking for this?
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/6676852.html
searched on the internet (Phosphorescent chemical composition )

hope it helps


nnn and also:
http://ledmuseum.home.att.net/glow6.htm
they say it has "strontium aluminate", in it...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strontium_aluminate