Modification of surface of titanium dioxide nanoparticles with biocompatible materials

Iranian researchers from Isfahan University of Technology changed the properties of the nanoparticles from hydrophilic to hydrophobic by modifying the surface of titanium dioxide nanoparticles with optical active and biocompatible dicarboxylic acids containing various aminoacids. The nanoparticles can be used in the synthesis of non-polar base nanocomposites. In this research, the surface of titanium dioxide nanoparticles was modified with optical active and biocompatible dicarboxylic acids containing various aminoacids. The modified titanium dioxide nanoparticles were characterized through various methods. Results of the analyses showed that the surface of the nanoparticles had been very well modified. Prof. Shadpour Mallakpour, one of the researchers, explained about the research procedure, and said, “In this research, the properties of titanium dioxide nanoparticles change with the modification of their surface from hydrophilic to hydrophobic. Organic di-acid decreases the accumulation of nanoparticles on their surface by decreasing their surface energy and by creating spatial compression between the nanoparticles. As a result, titanium dioxide nanoparticles covered with organic di-acid disperse better in the polymers.” The use of optical active and biocompatible dicarboxylic acids containing various aminoacids can turn modified titanium dioxide nanoparticles into environmental friendly particles due to the presence of biocompatible di-acids. The modified titanium dioxide nanoparticles can be used directly in the synthesis of polymeric nanocomposites as coating materials, building materials and packaging. They also have wide applications in electrical engineering, aerospace, building, and automobile manufacturing. Results of the research have been published in details in Progress in Organic Coatings, vol. 76, 2013, pp. 648-653.