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You are probably aware of that certain radioactive things glow, usually a soft green. But is there any way to add compounds or what have you to achieve a different color, say, orange?

I know Cherenkov radiation in water is a soft blue, but that's a product of the reactor rather than the fuel itself.

I can't even find anything on google images that show radioluminescence in colors other than green. This is specifically for a nuclear fuel, and different formulae are marked as different colors. Perhaps I'll ask about the fuel itself separately.

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  • $\begingroup$ It would be purely down to the chemistry of the radioactive substance in question; for instance, when you burn specific metals under a flame, they release a unique spectrum of colour. $\endgroup$ – Harry David Oct 11 '16 at 13:30
  • $\begingroup$ An addendum to the answers that are already in place: the familiar green glow we associate with radiation isn't actually a product of the radioactive material. Rather, it's emitted by other materials, called phosphors, which emit light in the presence of radiation. Changing the color of radioluminescence is a matter of changing the phosphor, not changing the radiation source, which is generally chosen based on health and practical reasons, with tritium being the most common in the modern day. $\endgroup$ – ckersch Oct 11 '16 at 15:14
  • $\begingroup$ Please consider eventually accepting one of the answers or at least comment on answers to communicate why you don't want to accept them. $\endgroup$ – dot_Sp0T Nov 9 '17 at 17:12
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According to Wikipedia, Yes

Apparently Tritium is often used to illuminate things, alas it's got a half-life of only 12.32 years it is often deemed enough for common applications

Various preparations of the phosphor compound can be used to produce different colors of light. Some of the colors that have been manufactured in addition to the common phosphors are green, red, blue, yellow, purple, orange, and white.

Wikipedia: Tritium Illumination

Tritium Keychains

Tritium Watch Face

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Certainly. I’ve even seen a product in different colors, powered by tritium.

At the very least, you can use common florescent pigments (available in many glo-colors) and mix with UV-producing radioluminescence material, if you can’t get the color you want to work “directly”.

But the above Wikipedia link states

Various preparations of the phosphor compound can be used to produce different colors of light. Some of the colors that have been manufactured in addition to the common phosphors are green, red, blue, yellow, purple, orange, and white.

And here they are for sale showing relative brightness of each color.

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  • $\begingroup$ Arrrrgh you've been quicker than me $\endgroup$ – dot_Sp0T Oct 11 '16 at 13:32
  • $\begingroup$ Because I answered from memory and didn’t look up the products. $\endgroup$ – JDługosz Oct 11 '16 at 13:34
  • $\begingroup$ If I remember correctly, the thing that drives the phosphors is beta particles (electrons) emitted by the tritium, rather than UV. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tritium and traser.com/en-gb/h3-illumination-tech.html $\endgroup$ – JerryTheC Oct 11 '16 at 14:32
  • $\begingroup$ Why are they not more popular, are they much more expensive? $\endgroup$ – Innovine Oct 11 '16 at 15:49
  • $\begingroup$ You can see prices on ebay, Amazon, etc. for bare vials and fancy holders for them. $\endgroup$ – JDługosz Oct 11 '16 at 15:52

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