Materials Chemistry and Physics, Vol.223, 366-373, 2019
Effect of TiO2 addition/coating on the performance of polydimethylsiloxane-based silicone elastomers for outdoor applications
In the current study we investigated the effect of TiO2 addition on the performance of silicone elastomer films with focus on their response under UV radiation. TiO2 nanoparticles (0.1-5 wt. %) were dispersed to a polydimethylsiloxane-based silicone and the behavior of the films was assessed as a function of TiO2 content. TiO2 nanoparticles (0.1 wt. %) were also deposited as a coating on silicone elasomer films. The dispersion of TiO2 nanoparticles into the silicone matrix resulted in an overall increase of strength (up to app. 32%) and strain at break (up to app. 44%) as well as in reduced Young's Modulus (up to app. 30%). Application of TiO2 as coating resulted in lower stiffness (app. 60%) and strength (app. 43%), and almost identical strain at break compared to the unmodified silicone matrix. An increase in the thermal stability (up to app, 5 degrees C) and dielectric permittivity (up to app. 10%) was observed with increased TiO2 content. Furthermore addition of TiO2 resulted in higher stability against UV radiation and contributed to photocatalytic NO oxidation. Best performance was found in coated films which presented limited deterioration in their strength (residual values 65% vs. 23% for unmodified ones) and enhanced NO conversion. Overall it was shown that addition of small amounts of TiO2 , especially in the form of coating, significantly improved the performance of silicone elastomer films for outdoor applications.