Preparation of highly dispersed ZnO nanoparticles to fabricate ultraviolet-shielding poly(vinyl chloride) films

Zinc oxide (ZnO) is often used as an ultraviolet (UV) light capture agent to improve the UV protective ability of polymers. However, its poor affinity and photocatalytic effect on the polymer properties. To overcome these, ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) with superior UV-shielding properties were made via the synergistic role of (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES) and resorcinol diglycidyl ether (RDGE) functionalization and then added to PVC solution, and composite films were prepared by a casting method. HRTEM, XRD, SEM, TGA, FTIR, and UV spectrophotometer were applied to study the structure, dispersion, and optical performance. The results showed that the functionalization ZnO NPs could be well dispersed in PVC. The composite films have excellent shielding ability to UV light and greatly decrease the photocatalysis efficiency. Therefore, this work provides a new strategy to make PVC nanocomposites with superior UV resistance, which may expand its application range in packaging and fiber/textile fields.