Effect of Nanoplatelet Size on the Colloidal Stability of Coupled Nanocomposite of TiO2 and Zirconium Phosphate Nanoplatelets

The aggregation and sedimentation of nanoparticles affect the dispersion stability and application of nanosuspension. TiO₂ nanoparticles were coupled on zirconium phosphate (ZrP) disks with different diameters to study the effect of ZrP size on the dispersion stability of nanocomposite suspensions. Four suspensions, namely, TiO₂ nanosuspensions and three exfoliated TiO₂‒ZrP nanocomposite suspensions with diameters of 729.6, 1004.5 and 1168.5 nm were prepared. Dispersion stability was compared among the suspensions. The zeta potential, viscosity, particle morphology and particle size distribution of the suspensions were also tested to analyze the stability mechanism of the nanocomposite suspensions. Results of the stability tests within 100 days show that the TiO₂‒ZrP nanocomposite suspensions exhibited slower sedimentation, higher ultraviolet-visible absorbance, smaller light transmission and backscattering variation and lower Turbiscan Stability Index than those of the pure TiO₂ suspension. Among the samples, the smallest TiO₂‒ZrP nanocomposites exhibited improved stability. The absolute zeta potential and viscosity of each nanocomposite suspension were comparable with one another, but higher than those of the TiO₂ suspension. The transmission electron microscope images and particle size distribution suggest that TiO₂‒ZrP can better control the aggregation of small TiO₂ nanoparticle clusters. <p>DOI: <a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.24.2.18154">http://dx.doi.org/10.5755/j01.ms.24.2.18154</a>