  
Light can have a helpful or harmful effect depending on how it is managed. For example, the right light spectrum can make flowers grow faster and taller, avoid heat build up in construction or automotive applications or protect the nutritional value in food or beverage packaging. Ciba offers, and is continually developing, a range of solutions aimed at modifying the incident radiation in order to achieve effects that go beyond material stabilization or coloration. The main areas of development are:
1. Near IR absorption
2. Photoselective additives (absorption in UV and/or visible light and emission in visible light)
3. Packaging content protection
IR Absorption
IR-absorbers are active in the IR region at >650. This is the region just outside the visible range, which goes up to about 700 nm, but is still inside the spectra of the sunlight that reaches the surface of the earth (300 to 2’000 nm).
Transparent plastic materials (e.g., PC, PMMA, PET/PET-G, PVB) used in building and construction as well as in automotive and other transportation glazing applications, allow a higher transmission of near-IR radiation than does glass, resulting in significantly more interior heating of closed rooms.
Ciba is developing new systems for the absorption of IR radiation for architectural glazing applications such as pergolas, roofing, skylights and swimming pool covers; for automotive glazing applications to improve the energy efficiency of glass/plastic windows; and greenhouse applications, IR laser filter systems, absorptive dyes, heat take up improvers for faster processing and coatings.
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Photoselective additives
The concept of photo-selectivity includes special “active” plastics that, by the phenomenon of luminescence, transform a part of the radiant energy. The radiation of a certain wavelength is absorbed by the additive included in the material and consequently re-emitted at higher wavelength radiation. Ciba has developed a specific additive that is able to modify the composition of the radiation transmitted by greenhouse plastic cover films. The modified radiation can have positive effects on crop growth.
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Packaging content protection
Packaging applications for personal care products, household products, food and beverage packaging as well as medical and pharmaceutical products can benefit from light protection to improve quality & shelf life of sensitive goods. Ciba Specialty Chemicals offers a broad range of light filters which when incorporated into transparent rigid or flexible packaging protect the content from light damage and allow new options for transparent packaging such as maintaining freshness & color, taste and/or nutritional value of the content.
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