All the commercial glow sticks which are available in the market are made up of different chemicals. They do not use any outside sources of energy to glow. The combination of those two chemicals make it glow and that phenomenon is called as chemiluminescence. Once the chemical reaction is complete the glow stick fades. So, with that faded glow sticks we can make solar powered glow sticks which can be recharged using solar power.
Steps involved in constructing solar glow stick:
- Take a faded glow stick of 6 inches length and cut that plastic tube along its length down on one side using a knife and remove any stuff present in it.
- Take half a tea spoon of glow powder whose chemical name is copper doped zinc sulphide powder and add it to a plastic cup. Now add a teaspoon of epoxy resin to that cup and mix thoroughly using a plastic tea spoon.
- Drop this mixture in the slitted plastic tube using a teaspoon. Spread the mixture evenly along the length of the plastic tube. Apply some resin mixture on the slitted ends so that it makes the slit closed by acting as glue. Allow the mixture to settle down for 30-60 minutes. The drying time depends upon the quality of epoxy resin used.
- After the resin mixture settles down put the tube under the sun and let it get charged. Allow it stay the whole day and in the night you can observe the tube glowing in the dark. Once it starts fading you can recharge it by placing in sun again and again.
You can also use a normal plastic tube instead of the faded glow stick. But make sure that you are wearing gloves and using all non metal containers to mix the chemical components. It is better for children to do it under adult supervision. Appropriate quantities of chemicals should be used to get proper results. Dispose any paste which is remained after this procedure. Always try to purchase the chemicals from a branded store.
This is how you can make a rechargeable glow stick.
