Incorporation of ZnO nanoparticles in polymeric matrices as UV protector

Abstract

At present there is great interest in the development of new nanomaterials that can be applied in different areas of study such as chemistry, physics, medicine, among others. In many polymeric materials, especially when used in coatings exposed to sunlight, they cause photolysis and photooxidation reactions, leading to the degradation of their physical-mechanical, optical and other properties. Therefore, the need to look for new materials capable of resisting radiation for prolonged periods, while retaining its original characteristics, such as hue and brightness, is imperative. Zinc oxide nanoparticles have attracted great interest in this aspect as they are used in most commercial sunscreens that use inorganic pigments, for their ability to adsorb ultraviolet rays. In the present work, the incorporation of the Np-ZnO in situ during the polymerization by the emulsion process of butyl acrylate was carried out. ZnO nanoparticles are incorporated into butyl polyacrylate in different concentrations of 0.3%, 0.5%, and 1% W, in which it is observed that at 1% there is greater agglomeration and in the others it does not affect the morphology of our polymer.