This is largely due to their exceptionally low absorption of light.
Plastic material sheet transmit uva light.
In natural light many polymer products can appear to have a yellow appearance.
No other plastic material can deliver this level of uv transparency performance.
The materials most commonly used for lighting applications are acrylic and polycarbonate.
Therefore you will not be able to use standard acrylic plastic for your application.
Even very thin acrylic sheets of less than 5 millimeters mm do not let uv c light penetrate.
One useful interaction of uv and plastics is with fluorescent whitening agents fwa.
This isn t the only way that acrylic plastic is durable.
But by adding a fwa the uv light absorbed is then emitted in the blue region of visible light 400 500nm wavelength instead of the yellow region.
Fortunately polyplastics and topas advanced polymers provide a line of glass clear medical grade plastics with high uv transmission so that tests utilizing uva uvb and with the right grade even uvc down to 220nm can be carried out with confidence.
Uv transmitting acrylic sheet is made to be strong and resist degradation that commonly comes with continuous long term exposure to uv rays.
Acrylic plexiglass and polycarbonate sheets are both strong and durable plastic sheets with top of the line visual possibilities.
Plexiglas sheet light transmission filteringvisible and ultraviolet light transmission in colorless sheetultraviolet transmittance plexiglas sheet absorbs short wavelength ultraviolet uv energy but transmits most of the long wavelength uv those wavelengths just short of the visible region.
Although standard plexiglass transmits uv rays it doesn t have the extra protection this specialized plastic provides.
Acrylic plastic can sustain high levels of uv light extreme cold and even saltwater without its structural integrity being compromised.
Most acrylic plastics will allow light of wavelength greater than 375 nm to pass through the material but they will not allow uv c wavelengths 100 290 nm to pass through.
Although standard plexiglass transmits uv rays it doesn t have the extra protection this specialized plastic provides.
With these materials having such great qualities it makes them the go to material for most lighting applications including commercial lighting lenses interior led and.
They are almost totally transparent to all visible light and to long wavelength ultraviolet light uv light with wavelength greater than 290 nanometers.
Uv transmitting acrylic sheet is made to be strong and resist degradation that commonly comes with continuous long term exposure to uv rays.
It can also sustain heat fairly well withstanding temperatures of 180f without beginning to soften.
Acrylic polymers are among the most light stable transparent plastics.