UV shielding performance of illite/TiO2 nanocomposites

Abstract

Illite/TiO₂ nanocomposites have been successfully synthesized by the hydrothermal method. Phase and microstructural analysis confirmed that TiO₂ nanocrystals were loaded on the surface of illite with a strong chemical bond. The as-prepared illite/TiO₂ samples presented high UV shielding performance with increasing TiO₂ content. The PIT-50% sample exhibited the best UV shielding performance, blocking almost 100% of UVC, over 98% of UVB and nearly 60% of UVA while having poor photocatalytic activity. Furthermore, the illite/TiO₂ powders were dispersed more homogeneously on the matrix when compared to TiO₂, and their photocatalytic activity could be adjusted to a suitable range to achieve better UV shielding performance. Therefore, unlike the traditional rutile UV blocker, this novel illite/anatase blocker can display desirable UV shielding properties, especially at longer irradiation times, and the fabric maintained 71.35% tensile strength after the UV aging test with half the amount of TiO₂. All these results indicate that illite/anatase nanocomposites are promising UV shielding materials for textiles and polymers, with regard to both cost and performance.