Development of photoluminescent concrete from polystyrene plastic reinforced with electrospun polypropylene nanofibers

Polystyrene (PS) plastic was reinforced with electrospun polypropylene nanofibers (EPN) and nanoparticles of lanthanide-doped aluminate (NLA) to develop mechanically reliable transparent, photochromic and afterglow materials. Different concentrations of lanthanide-doped aluminate nanoparticles, from 0.5 % to 12 % w/v, were physically integrated into a transparent plastic sheet of electrospun polypropylene nanofibers@polystyrene (EPN@PS). The transparent hybrid samples of EPN@PS, as determined by CIE Lab and luminescence spectroscopy, appeared green (518 nm) underneath UV lamp. The morphological properties of NLA revealed diameters of 5–15 nm, whereas the electrospun polypropylene nanofibers displayed diameters of 75–225 nm. Different analytical methods were used to investigate the morphology of the EPN@PS substrates. Reinforcing polystyrene with EPN as a roughening agent and NLA as a photoluminescent agent improved its mechanical properties. Photoluminescent substrates of EPN@PS were shown to have much better scratch resistance than NLA-free plastic. When excited at 365 nm, the photoluminescence spectra showed an emission peak at 518 nm. The results demonstrated that the superhydrophobic and UV-blocking of the EPN@PS composites were enhanced upon increasing the phosphor content. The highest contact angle of concrete was monitored at 151.8°. The current strategy is significant in various applications, such as smart concretes, electricity-free lightening, smart windows, and anti-counterfeiting labeling.