Preparation and Characterization of Nanostructured TiO 2 /Epoxy Polymeric Films

Titania‐containing coatings were prepared by cationic photopolymerization of an epoxy resin either by dispersion of preformed TiO 2 nanoparticles or by their in‐situ generation through a sol‐gel dual‐cure process. The kinetics of photopolymerization was evaluated by real‐time FT‐IR, studying the effect of the TiO 2 concentration. The properties of cured films were investigated, showing an increase of hydrophilicity on the surface of the coatings with increasing TiO 2 content. TEM analysis demonstrated that it is possible to achieve a significantly better control of the dispersion of the inorganic particles within the organic matrix by in‐situ generation of TiO 2 , thus completely avoiding macroscopic phase separation and obtaining homogeneous, transparent coatings. Bright‐field TEM micrograph for TIP20 dual‐cured film. image Bright‐field TEM micrograph for TIP20 dual‐cured film.