Photostabilization of polypropylene by surface modified rutile-type TiO2 nanorods

ABSTRACT Rutile‐type titanium dioxide (TiO2) nanorods were prepared, superficially modified and tested for the protection of polypropylene (PP) from the UVB and UVC irradiations. The silica coating blocked the active sites on the nanorods and the following calcination further reduced the amount of surface hydroxyl groups and thus, made the TiO2 nanorods more efficient against the photodegradation. Compared with spherical TiO2 nanoparticles, the calcined silica‐coated TiO2 nanorods demonstrated good photostabilization efficiency due to the excellent shielding effect and the improved dispersion of the nanoparticles in PP matrix. When used in combination with the conventional hindered amine light stabilizer (HALS), CHIMASSORB® 944, the surface modified TiO2 nanorods revealed strong synergistic effect during the photo‐oxidation of the PP composites. The capacity of photostabilization was much higher than the combination with the commercial spherical TiO2 nanoparticles and even higher than the typical HALS photostabilization system containing hindered phenol TINUVIN® 328. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2014, 131, 40601.