Investigation of the mechanical properties of a photocatalytic pseudo‐paint

Abstract

Photocatalytic oxidative paints (e.g., a paint containing nano-TiO 2 ) are used to break down volatile organic compounds to CO 2 by photooxidation reactions. In this research, a photocatalytic oxidative pseudo-paint was made with acrylic-styrene copolymer latex, TiO 2 pigment, calcium carbonate extender, and TiO 2 nanoparticles as a photocatalyst. To investigate the effects of the pigment, extender, and nanoparticles on the mechanical properties of the samples and their relationship to their photocatalytic activity, different contents of the particles were dispersed in the paint formulation. The tensile strengths (TSs) of the samples were measured as the mechanical properties. The samples were characterized by scanning electron microscopy analysis. We found that up to 3% nano-TiO 2 enhanced the mechanical properties of the pigmented resin, whereas beyond this, TS decreased. In samples containing 3% nanoparticles, the incorporation of 15% TiO 2 pigment caused optimized mechanical properties, and beyond that, TS decreased because of particle agglomeration. In the absence of nanoparticles, the samples showed improvements in the mechanical properties with up to a 40% loading of pigment. The results reveal that the samples containing nano-TiO 2 and pigment showed the same trend for the mechanical and photocatalytic properties before the critical pigment volume concentration (CPVC). However, when the extender was incorporated or TiO 2 particles were loaded beyond CPVC, the mechanical and photocatalytic properties correlation was compromised, and they were not directly correlated. Aguia et al. 11 incorporated about 25% nano-TiO 2 into vinyl paint and showed that more than 80% of the nitric oxide could

Benchmarking of photocatalytic coatings performance and their activation towards pollutants degradation

“…In addition, the photocatalyst may cause oxidation of the organic constituents of the coating and compromise the integrity of the coating [13][14][15]. Despite these challenges, photocatalytic coatings have been used successfully for multiple applications, showing substantial activity towards photo-degradation of dyes, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), nitrogen oxide gases (NOx), bacteria and fungi [16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24][25]. It has been reported that photocatalytic coatings need a prior activation, usually a period of UV exposure for a certain time to induce binder photodegradation, to unleash their optimal performance [19,26].…”

Investigation of inter‐relationship between tensile behavior and photocatalytic activity of an acrylic‐based composite upon UVA exposure

“…After the authors’ previous report on the mechanical properties of a photocatalytic pseudo‐paint, this article addresses application of PCO technology in interior paint and elucidates the role of two main paint components (pigment and extender) along with nanoparticles on PCO. Another target of this article is to study how the mechanical properties variate during time of UV exposure.…”