Effect of surface modification of titanium dioxide on the UV-C aging behavior of silicone rubber

Surface modification of titanium dioxide (TiO₂) nanoparticles (NPs) by silane coupling agents and the ultraviolet-C (UV-C) aging behavior of silicone rubber (SiR) incorporated with the modified TiO₂ NPs were investigated in this work. The SiR samples incorporated with TiO₂ NPs displayed excellent stability against the UV-C radiation. In order to improve the dispersion of TiO₂ NPs in the SiR matrix, the surface of TiO₂ NPs was modified with 3-aminopropyl triethoxysilane and 3-trimethoxysilyl propyl methacrylate, respectively. The surface modification of TiO₂ NPs was characterized by thermal gravimetric analysis and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. The dispersion stability of the pristine TiO₂ NPs and surface silane-modified TiO₂ NPs was evaluated in an organic solvent (toluene). Effect of surface modified TiO₂ NPs on the UV-C aging behavior of SiR was evaluated in terms of the change of surface morphology, tensile properties, hardness, crosslinking density, and surface microstructure before and after the UV-C aging. The results showed that surface modification of TiO₂ NPs with silane coupling agents could improve the dispersion of TiO₂ NPs in the SiR matrix. Moreover, the SiR with modified TiO₂ NPs showed an improved aging resistance to the UV-C radiation, compared with the samples with pristine TiO₂ NPs. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Appl. Polym. Sci. 2019 , 136, 47170.