Thermoplastic materials containing near infrared fluorophores

A thermoplastic polymer composition which comprises a thermoplastic polymer having admixed therein one or more monomeric near-infrared fluorescing compounds, wherein the near infrared fluorescing compound is selected from the classes of phathalocyanines, naphthalocyanines and squaraines and correspond to Formulae II, III and IV:

• ##STR43## wherein Pc and Nc represent the phthalocyanine and 2,3-naphthalocyanine moieties of Formulae IIa and IIIa, ##STR44## respectively, covalently bonded to various halometals, organometallic groups, and oxymetals selected from a list consisting of AlCl, AlBr, AlF, AlOR.sub.5, AlSR.sub.5, SiCl.sub.2, SiF.sub.2, Si(OR.sub.6).sub.2, and Si(SR.sub.6).sub.2,
• wherein R.sub.5 and R.sub.6 are selected from hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, lower alkanoyl, arylcarbonyl, arylaminocarbonyl, trifluoroacetyl or groups of the formulae ##STR45## R.sub.7, R.sub.8 and R.sub.9 are independently selected from alkyl, phenyl or phenyl substituted with lower alkyl, lower alkoxy or halogen;
• X is selected from oxygen, sulfur, selenium, tellurium or a group of the formula --N--R.sub.10, wherein R.sub.10 is hydrogen, cycloalkyl, alkyl, acyl, alkylsulfonyl,or aryl or R.sub.10 and R taken together form an aliphatic or aromatic ring with the nitrogen atom to which they are attached;
• Y is selected from alkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, halogen or hydrogen;
• R is selected from hydrogen, unsubstituted or substituted alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl,
• C.sub.3 -C.sub.8 cycloalkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, ##STR46## --(X--R).sub.m is one or more groups selected from alkylsulfonylamino, arylsulfonylamino, or a group selected from the formulae --X(C.sub.2 H.sub.4 O).sub.z R, ##STR47## wherein R is as defined above;
• Z is an integer of from 1-4;
• or two --(X--R).sub.m groups can be taken together to form divalent substituents of the formula ##STR48## wherein each X.sup.1 is independently selected from --O--, --S--, or --N--R.sub.10 and A is selected from ethylene;
• propylene;
• trimethylene;
• and such groups substituted with C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkoxy, aryl and cycloalkyl;
• 1,2-phenylene and 1,2-phenylene containing 1-3 substituents selected from C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkyl, C.sub.1 -C.sub.4 alkoxy or halogen;
• R.sub.1 and R.sub.2 are independently selected from hydrogen, lower alkyl, lower alkoxy, halogen, aryloxy, lower alkylthio, arylthio, lower alkylsulfonyl;
• arylsulfonyl;
• lower alkylsulfonylamino, arylsulfonylamino, cycloalkylsulfonylamino, carboxy, unsubstituted and substituted carbamoyl and sulfamoyl, lower alkoxycarbonyl, hydroxy or lower alkanoyloxy, ##STR49## R.sub.3 and R.sub.4 are independently selected from hydrogen, lower alkyl, alkenyl or aryl;
• n is an integer from 0-16;
• n.sub.1 is an integer from 0-24, m is an integer from 0-16;
• m.sub.1 is an integer from 0-24;
• provided that the sums of n+m and n.sub.1 +m.sub.1 are 16 and 24, respectively,
• wherein said compounds are present in a concentration sufficient to impart fluorescence capable of detection by near infrared detection means when exposed to electromagnetic radiation having a wavelength of about 670 to 2500 nm.