Preparation of UV-shielding Poly(methyl methacrylate)/TiO2 Nanocomposite Films Based on Soluble Titania Colloids

摘要

In this work, optically transparent poly(methyl methacrylate)/TiO2 nanocomposite films with UV-shielding properties are prepared by solution mixing poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) and soluble titania colloids. The soluble titania colloids have been synthesized via a modified simple sol-gel method, involving the reaction of titanium precursor with trifluoroacetic acid (TFA), hydrolysis, gelation, and drying. The soluble titania colloids can be easily dissolved in organic solvents to form clear solutions. PMMA/TiO2 nanocomposite films are prepared by solution casting the homogeneous mixture of PMMA and soluble titania colloids in THF. The structure and morphology of PMMA/TiO2 nanocomposite films are characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectra (XPS),Transmission electron microscopy (TEM), UV-vis spectra and Thermal gravimetric analysis (TGA).TEM observation shows titania colloid nanoparticles are uniformly dispersed in PMMA matrix. The transparent PMMA/TiO2 nanocomposite films show strong UV-shielding capability, which can be used as transparent coating layers with strong UV light protection. TGA results show that a small addition amount of titania colloids (≤2.0 wt %) can effectively improve the thermal stability of PMMA.