Organic photochromic pigment particulates

Abstract

Described is photochromic particulate material comprising a photochromic substance within a matrix of a polymerizate of a polyfunctional acrylate monomer. The photochromic particulate material may be produced by adding an organic photochromic substance to a polymerizable composition including a polyfunctional acrylate monomer and polymerizing the resultant admixture, e.g., by emulsion polymerization. In the case of emulsion or suspension polymerization, finely divided particulate organic photochromic materials are separated from the polymerization medium in the form of spheroidal thermoset photochromic particles of fairly uniform size. If desired, the particles recovered from the polymerization medium may be further ground in conventional attrition mills to further reduce the size of the particulate product. In the case of bulk polymerization, the polymerizate may be formed as a continuously cast sheet, which is then pulverized to a particulate material of pigmentary size.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.