OliKrom creates a luminescent paint that makes roads safer at night

02/01/2019

Reading time 15 minutes

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The Gironde startup OliKrom has developed a phosphorescent paint that glows at night

Another bright idea for the smart pigment company

"It's fabulous, it looks like a trick", enthuses the mayor of Pessac (Gironde). Since October, the two kilometers of bicycle path that crosses an undergrowth, in the district of Saige, are transformed into a luminous path at night.

The darker it gets, the brighter it glows! The secret of this magic? LuminoKrom®, a phosphorescent paint invented by the startup OliKrom. "It contains chemicals that absorb sunlight and give it back at night," explains Jean-François Létard, its founder. "We see the road take shape at 80 meters compared to a traditional signage" adds the leader, former research director at the Institute of Chemistry of Condensed Matter in Bordeaux (ICMCB), dependent on the CNRS.

The phosphorescent effect lasts ten hours, enough to last all night. The formula of the paint, whose implementation has been entrusted to Eiffage, is confidential.

Avoid electrical wiring work

The phosphorescent paint is now being approved for road marking. "We will be able to equip all high-risk areas, such as crosswalks, dangerous bends, chicanes or intersections," says Jean-François Létard. It is also ideal for small villages, country roads that are often poorly lit, or for marking out parking spaces. The price per liter is higher, "but it cannot be compared with a simple white paint, insists Jean François Létard. Our paint avoids all the infrastructure costs such as the wiring to pass the electric wires of the street lamps and the cost of electricity".

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