Surface Coating of Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles with a Polymerizable Chelating Agent and Its Physicochemical Property.

Surface modification of inorganic nanoparticles is critical for the quality and performance of pigments, cosmetics, and composite materials. We covered the titanium dioxide nanoparticles' surface with 2-(acetoacetoxy) ethyl methacrylate, a polymerizable chelating agent. Through the in situ polymerization procedure, this molecule's ß-ketoester moiety quickly coordinated with the metal atoms on titanium dioxide nanoparticles, and its methacrylate group formed homogeneous coating layers. This coating layer significantly reduced the photocatalytic activity of titanium dioxide nanoparticles and prevented their aggregation. This nanoparticle dispersion showed low viscosity up to the solid content of 60% (w/w) in the liquid dispersant. As a result, it increased the UV screening performance and dispersion stability. Additionally, this coating layer widened the absorption spectrum of titanium dioxide and could change the color of nanoparticles from pale yellow to brown. It can also be helpful for cosmetic applications.

Architecturally Robust Graphene-Encapsulated MXene Ti2CT x@Polyaniline Composite for High-Performance Pouch-Type Asymmetric Supercapacitor.

A harmonized three-component composite system which preserves the characteristics of individual components is of interest in the field of energy storage. Here, we present a graphene-encapsulated MXene Ti2CT x@polyaniline composite (GMP) material realized in a systematically stable configuration with different ternary nanomaterials for supercapacitor electrodes. Due to the different ζ-potentials in a high-pH solution, chemically converted graphene (negatively charged) is thoroughly unfolded to allow full encapsulation, but the MXene Ti2CT x@polyaniline composite with a low positive ζ-potential is easily attracted toward a counter-charged substance. The obtained GMP electrode exhibits improved cycling stability and better electrochemical performance owing to the use of mechanically robust and chemically inert graphene and the densely intercalated conductive polyaniline between the multilayer MXenes. The GMP electrode has a high gravimetric capacitance of 635 F g-1 (volumetric capacitance of 1143 F cm-3) at a current density of 1 A g-1 with excellent cycling stability of 97.54% after 10 000 cycles. Furthermore, the asymmetric pouch-type supercapacitor assembled using the GMP as a positive electrode and graphene as a negative electrode yields a high energy density of 42.3 Wh kg-1 at a power density of 950 W kg-1 and remarkable cycling stability (94.25% after 10 000 cycles at 10 A g-1).