A transparent kaolinite-loaded zinc oxide nanocomposite sunscreen with UV shielding rate over 99% based on bidirectional dispersion

Nano-sized TiO₂and ZnO are the most efficient and widely used inorganic sunscreen, but they still have some drawbacks including agglomeration, delamination, clogging pores and high cost. In this study, a kaolinite-loaded zinc oxide nanocomposite sunscreen was prepared and the key technical problems in application of inorganic nano-sized sunscreens was solved. The synthesized kaolinite-loaded zinc oxide nanocomposite was characterized by XRD, SEM, EDS, XRF and UV-vis spectrophotometry. The SEM image of the nanocomposite suggests that agglomeration of nano-ZnO is avoided by bidirectional dispersion of superfine kaolinite powder and nano-ZnO. Nano-effect and UV shielding rate are enhanced and the nanocomposite sunscreen possesses UV shielding efficiency of 1 + 1 > 2. The UV shielding rate of the nanocomposite sunscreen is greater than 99%, only 10% addition of it endows ordinary skin care products with excellent UV protective efficacy. Moreover, the content of nano-ZnO is reduced by half through introduction of kaolinite, the cost of the sunscreen is lowered, delamination and pore clogging are avoided. This work provides a technical approach for producing stronger, safer and more economical popularized anti-UV skincare products.

Analysis and design of InAs nanowire array based ultra broadband perfect absorber

An ultra-broadband perfect absorber has a wide range of applications which include solar energy harvesting, imaging, photodetection etc. In this regard, InAs nanowire (NW) based structure is investigated in this work for achieving an ultra broadband perfect absorber. Finite difference time domain (FDTD) based numerical analysis has been performed to optimize the InAs nanowire based structure to obtain an efficient light absorber by varying different dimensional parameters. Mie theory and guided mode resonance based theoretical analysis is developed to validate the results and to get an insight into the tunability of the nanowire based structure. Moreover, the theoretical analysis elucidates the underlying physics of light absorption in nanowires. To achieve ultra broadband absorption, multi radii InAs nanowire based arrays are investigated and it is found that they exhibit superior performance compared to single radius NW based structures. The computed light absorption efficiency (LAE) and short circuit current density values are enhanced to 97% and 40.15 mA cm⁻² at 10° angle of incidence for the optimized quad radii NW array within the wavelength range of 300 nm to 1000 nm and 300 nm to 1200 nm, respectively. Moreover, the absorption spectra for these structures are polarization independent and exhibit robust performance for varying angle of incidence. In addition, arrangement of the NW array (hexagonal or square) has negligible effect on the absorption spectra. Such ultra-broadband absorption capability of the proposed structure compared to existing works suggests that the InAs nanowire based structure is very promising as light absorber with prospects in the fields of photo detection, solar power generation, perfect cloaking, photochemistry and other thin film photonic devices.

Mie theory and GMR based theoretical framework support the numerical results that resonant wavelength increases with increasing InAs NW diameter. By employing NWs of different diameters in a single array, an ultra-broadband perfect absorber has been achieved.

Investigating the UV absorption capabilities in novel Ag@RGO/ZnO ternary nanocomposite for optoelectronic devices

A facile one-pot method was utilized at room-temperature for the synthesis of novel ternary nanocomposite of Ag@RGO/ZnO, which is introduced as a low cost, efficient and reliable UV absorber. The crystalline, morphological, structural, and optical characteristics of the as-synthesized samples were investigated by various techniques such as XRD, FE-SEM, HR-TEM, XPS, and DRS. The measurements confirm the successful fabrication of the Ag@RGO/ZnO ternary nanocomposite. Optical characterization showed the synergetic role of Ag NPs and RGO NSs in the enhancement of the light absorption of the ternary nanocomposite in the UV portion compared to the bare ZnO NPs. Additionally, band-gap narrowing was observed due to the Ag-doping impact where potential applications for the proposed nanocomposite have been suggested.

Lithography-free, manganese-based ultrabroadband absorption through annealing-based deformation of thin layers into metal-air composites

Fabrication, characterization, and analysis of an ultrabroadband lithography-free absorber is presented. An over 94% average absorption is experimentally achieved in the wavelength range of 450-1400 nm. This ultrabroadband absorption is obtained by a simple annealed trilayer metal-insulator-metal (MIM) configuration. The metal used in the structure is manganese (Mn), which also makes the structure cost-effective. It is shown that the structure retains its high absorption for TM polarization, up to 70 deg, and, for TE polarization, up to 50 deg. Moreover, the physical mechanism behind this broadband absorption is explained. Being both lithography-free and cost-effective, the structure is a perfect candidate for large-area and mass production purposes.

Effect of Divalent Metals on the UV-Shielding Properties of MII/MgAl Layered Double Hydroxides

Both the particle size and compositions have a strong influence on the UV-shielding performance of layered double hydroxides (LDHs), and they will interact with each other. To investigate the effects of divalent metal ions on the UV-shielding properties of layered double hydroxides (LDHs), M^II/MgAl-CO₃ LDHs (M = Mg, Co, Ni, Cu, or Zn) with the same primary and secondary particle size have been prepared and their UV-shielding performance have been studied in this work. The UV-vis spectra show that the ZnMgAl-LDHs exhibit the highest absorbance under the ultraviolet B and ultraviolet A rays among these LDH samples, but in the ultraviolet C region, the CuMgAl-LDHs show the highest absorbance and this result is in good accordance with the UV-shielding performance, which was examined by protecting the photocatalytic degradation of rhodamine B aqueous solution. Moreover, under UV rays, PP/ZnMgAl-LDH films show excellent resistance to UV aging, which can be attributed to the strong inhibition of ZnMgAl-LDHs during the production of free radicals in polypropene, as has been confirmed by electron spin resonance results.

UV absorber co-intercalated layered double hydroxides as efficient hybrid UV-shielding materials for polypropylene

UV absorber co-intercalated layered double hydroxides can efficiently shield UV light and greatly enhance the anti-photoaging performance of polypropylene.

Ionic Liquid Stabilized Gelatin-Lignin Films: A Potential UV-Shielding Material with Excellent Mechanical and Antimicrobial Properties

Significant research is currently underway to develop environmentally friendly UV-shielding materials. Herein, we have constructed choline citrate (a biobased ionic liquid, IL) stabilized homogeneous gelatin-lignin UV-shielding films with excellent antimicrobial and mechanical properties. The synthesis procedure of the films is less energy demanding, one pot, and sustainable in nature. Prepared films were characterized by mechanical and thermal analysis using UTM and TGA, respectively. ATR-IR and PXRD was employed to explore the possible formation of H-bonding between biopolymers and the IL and the change in crystallinity in films after addition of IL to the gelatin-lignin matrix. Surface morphology of prepared films has been studied using optical microscope, AFM, and field emission SEM (FE-SEM). Optical properties of prepared films were measured using UV/Vis spectroscopy. Antimicrobial activity of the prepared films was tested against Bacillus subtilis. Prepared biofilms showed a sun-protection factor (SPF) of up to ≈45.0, large elongation ≈200 %, and tensile strength ≈70 MPa, which are as good as those values exhibited by organic polymeric films, indicating a promising renewable-resources-based material for UV light blocking.

Large-Area, Cost-Effective, Ultra-Broadband Perfect Absorber Utilizing Manganese in Metal-Insulator-Metal Structure

Achieving broadband absorption has been a topic of intensive research over the last decade. However, the costly and time consuming stage of lithography has always been a barrier for the large-area and mass production of absorbers. In this work, we designed, fabricated, and characterized a lithography-free, large-area compatible, omni-directional, ultra-broadband absorber that consists of the simplest geometrical configuration for absorbers: Metal-Insulator-Metal (MIM). We introduced and utilized Manganese (Mn) for the first time as a very promising metal for broadband absorption applications. We optimized the structure step-by-step and compared Mn against the other best candidates introduced so far in broadband absorption structures and showed the better performance of Mn compared to them. It also has the advantage of being cheaper compared to metals like gold that has been utilized in many patterned broadband absorbers. We also presented the circuit model of the structure. We experimentally achieved over 94 percent average absorption in the range of 400-900 nm (visible and above) and we obtained absorption as high as 99.6 percent at the wavelength of 626.4 nm. We also experimentally demonstrated that this structure retains broadband absorption for large angles up to 70 degrees.

UV shielding performance of illite/TiO2 nanocomposites

Illite/TiO₂ composites that presented enhanced UV shielding properties and decreased photocatalytic activity were synthesized by the hydrothermal method.

A Novel UV-Shielding and Transparent Polymer Film: When Bioinspired Dopamine-Melanin Hollow Nanoparticles Join Polymers

Ultraviolet (UV) light is known to be harmful to human health and cause organic materials to undergo photodegradation. In this Research Article, bioinspired dopamine-melanin solid nanoparticles (Dpa-s NPs) and hollow nanoparticles (Dpa-h NPs) as UV-absorbers were introduced to enhance the UV-shielding performance of polymer. First, Dpa-s NPs were synthesized through autoxidation of dopamine in alkaline aqueous solution. Dpa-h NPs were prepared by the spontaneous oxidative polymerization of dopamine solution onto polystyrene (PS) nanospheres template, followed by removal of the template. Poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA)/Dpa nanocomposite films were subsequently fabricated by a simple casting solvent. UV irradiation protocols were set up, allowing selective study of the extra-shielding effects of Dpa-s versus Dpa-h NPs. In contrast to PVA/Dpa-s films, PVA/Dpa-h films exhibit stronger UV-shielding capabilities and can almost block the complete UV region (200-400 nm). The excellent UV-shielding performance of the PVA/Dpa-h films mainly arises from multiple absorption because of the hollow structure and large specific area of Dpa-h NPs. Moreover, the wall thickness of Dpa-h NPs can be simply controlled from 28 to 8 nm, depending on the ratio between PS and dopamine. The resulting films with Dpa-h NPs (wall thickness = ∼8 nm) maintained relatively high transparency to visible light because of the thinner wall thickness. The results indicate that the prepared Dpa-h NPs can be used as a novel UV absorber for next-generation transparent UV-shielding materials.

Layered Rare-Earth Hydroxide/Polyacrylamide Nanocomposite Hydrogels with Highly Tunable Photoluminescence

Polymer nanocomposite (NC) hydrogels, with 3D networks composed of delaminated inorganic nanoparticles and a polymer matrix, usually display super mechanical toughness. However, the few types of inorganic materials and relatively scarce research for NC hydrogel functions seriously limit their applications. For the first time layered rare-earth hydroxide (LRH)/polyacrylamide NC hydrogels with highly tunable photoluminescence (PL) function are reported, prepared via a convenient and green in situ polymerization process. Interestingly, the NC hydrogels reveal exciting multicolored PL phenomenon (green, yellow, orange, reddish-orange to bluish violet), long luminescence lifetime, and relatively high quantum efficiency. Furthermore, the fascinating PL function is highly tunable by adjusting LRH constituent or its concentration, and excitation wavelength. The results highlight the fabrication and applications of functional polymer NC hydrogels with highly tunable PL function.

The effect of organomodified ZnAl LDH for in situ synthesis and the properties of poly(ethylene terephthalate) nanocomposites

Poly(ethylene terephthalate)-layered double hydroxide (PET–LDH) composites were prepared by intercalation, followed by in situ polymerization.

A convenient green preparation of layered double hydroxide/polyacrylamide nanocomposite hydrogels with ultrahigh deformability

A convenient green preparation method has been developed to achieve layered double hydroxide (LDH)/polymer nanocomposite (NC) hydrogels. In contrast to previous publications using toxic organic solvent of formamide or methanol in LDH exfoliation or anion exchange, the interlayer anion exchange and exfoliation of LDH are completed in one step with the help of an amino acid (L-serine). The LDH/polyacrylamide (PAM) NC hydrogels are achieved by a convenient exfoliation-adsorption in situ polymerization method. The exfoliation of LDH is characterized by dynamic light scattering and transmission electron microscopy. Interestingly, the developed NC hydrogels reveal ultrahigh deformability and extraordinary stretchability, confirmed by qualitative images and qualitative tensile and compression tests. The molecular mechanism for the ultrahigh deformability and extraordinary stretchability is discussed by crosslinking density, inter-crosslinking molecular weight and swelling tests. We believe that the findings reported herein will deepen our understanding towards the chemistry of network soft materials including gels, and further widen the applications of polymer hydrogels in mechanical devices such as artificial muscles, biomedical devices and drug delivery systems.

An insight into thermodynamics of adsorptive removal of fluoride by calcined Ca–Al–(NO3) layered double hydroxide

A framework for determination of thermodynamic equilibrium constant and Gibbs free surface energy change was presented. The interactive effect of temperature on adsorption process was addressed by RSM. Endothermic, spontaneous reaction was observed.

Hybridization of PDMS based cyanate ester and DGEBA for radiation resistant and microelectronics applications

Cyanate ester terminated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS-OCN) was synthesized and is copolymerized with DGEBA (1 : 1 and 2 : 1 ratios) through the formation of oxazoline ring to obtain a thermally stable and flexible hybrid PDMS–DGEBA polymer matrix.

Novel nanocomposite hydrogels consisting of layered double hydroxide with ultrahigh tensibility and hierarchical porous structure at low inorganic content

A novel type of polymer nanocomposite (NC) hydrogel with extraordinary mechanical properties at low inorganic content is prepared and investigated. The NC hydrogels consist of isethionate-loaded layered double hydroxide/polyacrylamide (LDH-Ise/PAM) - with LDH-Ise being used because of its swelling properties - and no conventional organic crosslinker. The NC hydrogels exhibit an unusual hierarchical porous structure at the micro- and nanometer scales, and their elongation at break can exceed 4000%.