Enhancement of UV-aging resistance of UV-curable polyurethane acrylate coatings via incorporation of hindered amine light stabilizers-functionalized TiO2-SiO2 nanoparticles

In this study, polymeric hindered amine light stabilizers (HALS)-functionalized silica coated rutile titanium dioxide (TiO2-SiO2) nanoparticles were prepared by encapsulating commercially available TiO2-SiO2 nanoparticles with methyl methacrylate (MMA) and 1,2,2,6,6-pentamethyl-4-piperidyl methacrylate (PMPM) copolymers via miniemulsion polymerization. The obtained functional (TiO2-SiO2/P(MMA-co-PMPM)) fillers have been added to polyurethane acrylate (PUA) oligomers to get UVcurable nanocomposite coatings. The functionalization of the TiO2-SiO2 nanoparticles with polymeric HALS has been confirmed by infrared spectra (IR), thermogravimetric (TG), and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analyses. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) micrographs indicated that homogeneous dispersion of TiO2-SiO2/P(MMA-co-PMPM) composite nanoparticles resulted in improved transparency and mechanical properties of the UV-curable PUA coatings. Rhodamine B (Rh. B) photodegradation measurement confirmed the excellent UV-shielding performance of PUA nanocomposite coatings containing TiO2-SiO2/P(MMA-co-PMPM). The addition of TiO2-SiO2/P(MMA-co-PMPM) composite nanoparticles reduced the UVcurable PUA coatings degradation rate dramatically. The UV-aging resistance of PUA coatings was improved significantly. Over all, the combination of TiO2-SiO2 nanoparticles and polymeric HALS offers an attractive way to fabricate the multifunctional fillers, which can be used to improve the mechanical properties and UV-aging resistance of PUA coatings simultaneously.