Surface treatment optimization of pigmentary TiO2 from an industrial aspect

Abstract

Industrial processes are most often limited in the means of production conditions, e.g., chemical agents’ selection and consumption, and time and energy conditions. In the present work, we succeeded in synthesizing a homogeneous silica layer on titanium dioxide (TiO2) core using moderate time and temperature conditions. The structure of the surface coated pigmentary TiO2 was characterized by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, and EDS. In our research isoelectric point (IEP) of TiO2 was determined, which occurred when the solution pH was ~4. In the meantime, the precipitation of SiO2 on TiO2 surface resulted in the shift of IEP. In addition, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis were applied in order to determine differences in surface microstructure. Coating parameters were optimized to attain desired morphology of precipitated Si-hydroxide, which in turn provides improvements in one or more important performance properties such as hiding power efficiency, which was determined by the means of UV–Vis light transmittance.