Green Science Alliance Develops Silica-Composite Organic Pigments with Significantly Enhanced Weather, Light and Heat Resistance

KAWANISHI, Japan, April 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Green Science Alliance Co., Ltd. (President: Ryohei Mori) in collaboration with Osaka Metropolitan University has successfully developed a novel material that combines organic pigments with silica (SiO₂), which is the primary component of glass.

Green Science Alliance is the Green Technology Startup company who focus in developing carbon neutral, sustainable energy technologies and this Color – SiO₂ composite materials are one of invented products this time.

This technology enables the retention of the vivid coloration characteristic of organic pigments while simultaneously imparting the superior durability, heat resistance, light fastness and dispersibility of inorganic silica.

Background: Challenges of Organic Pigments

Colorants are materials used to impart color to substances and are broadly classified into two categories:

• Dyes: Dissolve in water, oils, or solvents and exist at the molecular level
• Pigments: Do not dissolve in solvents and exist as dispersed particles

In general, pigments exhibit better weather resistance than dyes. However, organic pigments tend to gradually degrade and fade when exposed to sunlight and ultraviolet (UV) radiation over extended periods.

In contrast, inorganic pigments offer excellent durability but often lack the vivid color expression of organic pigments.

Technology Overview: Silica–Organic Pigment Composite

The newly developed material consists of organic pigments embedded within a dense silica matrix. This structure enables the following key features:

Key Features

1. Wide Color Tunability
   We have successfully realized vivid, high-saturation colors with delicate nuances by our long-cultivated, proprietary technology
2. Enhanced Weather Resistance
   
   The dense silica structure suppresses the ingress of oxygen and moisture, significantly reducing degradation under UV exposure
   
   
3. High Thermal Stability
   Maintains stability even under high-temperature processing conditions such as plastic molding
4. Compatibility with High-Temperature Resins
   Applicable to engineering plastics which requires elevated processing temperatures
5. Improved Mechanical Properties
   Enhances scratch resistance, hardness, and overall mechanical strength in coatings and polymer matrices
6. Excellent Chemical Stability
   Exhibits improved resistance to acidic and alkaline environments

Technical Significance

This technology successfully integrates:

• the vivid color performance of organic pigments, and
• the high thermal and environmental stability of inorganic materials

thereby overcoming the conventional trade-off between color performance and durability.

As a result, the heat resistance of organic pigments during processing has been improved to temperatures exceeding 350°C, enabling their use in applications that demand high thermal stability.

Furthermore, the encapsulation within a dense silica matrix provides enhanced resistance to solvents, acidic and alkaline environments, making the material suitable for applications requiring high chemical durability.

Potential Applications

The developed material is expected to find applications across a wide range of industries, including:

• Coatings and paints
• Printing inks
• Plastics and polymer coloration
• Cosmetics
• Automotive and construction materials

Future Outlook and Market Potential

Although research on silica - organic pigment composites has been reported previously, our technologies are superior in the following topics compared to those previous research.

• cost-effectiveness 
• scalability for mass production 
• practical industrial applicability 

This technology has the potential to serve as a next-generation colorant platform following conventional dyes and organic pigments, offering new value to the color materials industry.

Summary

The silica-composite organic pigments developed by Green Science Alliance have following features compared to conventional organic pigments in the market.

• high color performance
• excellent weather resistance and light fastness
• high thermal resistance
• superior durability

These features of this innovative color materials can bring promising positive results which can contribute to a sustainable society.

Media Contact:
Ryohei Mori
81-72-7598501
[email protected]

SOURCE Green Science Alliance Co., Ltd.