Essentially, they coat paper with tungsten-oxide – a low-toxicity chemical – and cover that with a thin film of polyvinyl pyrrolidone, a plastic commonly used in food and medicine. By exposing the paper to UV light, a pattern is formed of words, stencils, or pictures.
To erase the image and start over, the image needs to be out in the air for a day or so. Additives can make the image last for up to 10 days. And the paper can be reused about 40 times.
It doesn't sound like this is paper you can write on with a pen, per se, or for things you need to file or archive. But it does sound great for temporary prints of signs, party decorations, documents, or any application where you just need to use the print for a few days.
Read the original press release at the American Chemical Society webpage.
