Perylene dye photodegradation due to ketones and singlet oxygen

The photodegradation rate of a perylene dye ( Lumogen F Yellow 083) in methyl isobutyrate was found to increase with ketone concentration for two different ketones. Of the ketones employed, methyl pyruvate, an impurity in methyl methacrylate, was found to be particularly deleterious to dye stability. In agreement with other published studies, the addition of the anti-oxidant DABCO (1,4-diazabicyclo-[2.2.2] octane) to the dye matrix was found to increase dye stability; however when ketones were present, DABCO lead to increased photodegradation. These results highlight the importance of removing ketone impurities from dye matrices during production of Luminescent Solar Concentrators (LSCs).