A TiO2/polyurethane Composite for Photodegradation of Formaldehyde via Covalently Incorporation of Amino-functionalized TiO2

Abstract

In this study, a TiO₂/polyurethane composite (PU-TiO₂) for photodegradation of formaldehyde was prepared based on TiO₂ amino-functionalized with 3-aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTS). FTIR, XPS, TG and TEM measurements demonstrated the successful amino-functionalization of TiO₂ by APTS. Then the NH₂-TiO₂ were incorporated into polyurethane (PU) through urea linkages, and the thermal stability, mechanical properties as well as degradation efficiency of PU-TiO₂ were investigated. PU-TiO₂ possessed good thermal stability both in the storage and application. Compared with PU physically blended with TiO₂, PU-TiO₂ showed improved compatibility between PU and NH2-TiO₂, evidenced by the enhanced mechanical properties. Most importantly, PU- TiO₂ presented a good photoactivity for the degradation of formaldehyde.