Titanium dioxide is produced in two main forms. The primary form, comprising over 98 percent of total production, is pigment grade titanium dioxide. The other form in which titanium dioxide is produced is as an ultrafine nanomaterial product.
This form is selected when different properties, such as transparency and maximum ultraviolet light absorption, are required, such as in cosmetic sunscreens.
Pigment-grade titanium dioxide is used in a range of applications that require high opacity and brightness. In fact, most surfaces and items that are white and pastel, and even dark shades of color, contain titanium dioxide. Pigment-grate titanium dioxide is used in a range of applications, including:. Ultrafine-grades of titanium dioxide are most commonly used in the following specialty applications:. Questions about sunscreen safety? Use this guide on chemical ingredients used in sunscreen.
The U. Food and Drug Administration FDA has assessed the safety of titanium dioxide pigment as a color additive in food, drug and cosmetic applications.
FDA had issued guidance clarifying the safe use of titanium dioxide pigment as a food colorant , and has stated that titanium dioxide may be safely used in cosmetics , including cosmetics intended for use around the eye.
FDA also regulates the safety and effectiveness of sunscreens and their ingredients , including nanoscale titanium dioxide. Get answers to frequently asked questions about sunscreen safety. Workers at titanium dioxide manufacturing plants and downstream value-chain manufacturing plants where titanium dioxide is used can be exposed to titanium dioxide dust.
Consumer exposure to titanium dioxide dust is presumed to be extremely low, because titanium dioxide is typically fully incorporated into the end product in which it is used. Food and Drug Administration FDA has assessed the safety of titanium dioxide pigment as a color additive in food, drug and cosmetic applications, and as an ingredient in sunscreen products. FDA has also issued guidance clarifying the safe use of titanium dioxide pigment as a food colorant, and has stated that titanium dioxide may be safely used in cosmetics, including cosmetics intended for use around the eye.
More questions about sunscreen safety? As a photocatalyst, it can improve the efficiency of electrolytically splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen, and it can produce electricity in nanoparticle form. Applications include light-emitting diodes, liquid crystal displays LCDs and electrodes for plasma displays. Under exposure to UV light, it becomes increasingly hydrophilic and can be used for anti-fogging coatings and self-cleaning windows.
It also has disinfecting properties making it suitable for applications such as medical devices, food preparation surfaces, air conditioning filters and sanitary ware surfaces.
In mildly reducing atmospheres, TiO2 tends to lose oxygen and becomes a semiconductor. The electrical resistivity of the material can be correlated to the oxygen content of the atmosphere and hence it can be used as an oxygen sensor. However, the major consuming industries of TiO2 are in the mature sectors in the developed world such as paints and coatings applications, paper and paperboard, and plastics.
Therefore the consumption of TiO2 tends to follow general economic trends. Economic downturn hits demand.
Due to its various properties, titanium dioxide has been found to be useful for many different environmentally friendly applications. When used in a paint coating on the outside of buildings in warm and tropical climates, the white, light-reflecting qualities of TiO 2 can lead to considerable energy savings, as it reduces the need for air-conditioning.
As a photocatalyst , titanium dioxide can be added to paints, cements, windows and tiles in order to decompose environmental pollutants. As a nanomaterial see below , it can also be used as a crucial DeNOx catalyst in exhaust gas systems for cars, trucks and power plants, thus minimising their environmental impact.
Researchers are discovering new potential uses for titanium dioxide in this form. This includes clean energy production. As a photocatalyst, it has also been shown that TiO 2 can carry out hydrolysis breaking water into hydrogen and oxygen , and the collected hydrogen can be used as a fuel.
Visit uses of titanium dioxide for more information. Titanium dioxide has a number of unique characteristics that make it ideally suited to many different applications. TiO 2 is also an insulator. Importantly, titanium dioxide also has a very high refractive index its ability to scatter light , even higher than diamond. This makes it an incredibly bright substance and an ideal material for aesthetic design use. Another crucial property of titanium dioxide is that it can show photocatalytic activity under UV light.
This makes it effective for environmental purification, for different kinds of protective coatings, sterilisation and anti-fogging surfaces, and even in cancer therapy.
TiO 2 possesses different qualities depending on whether it is produced as pigment-grade or nanomaterial-grade. Both forms are tasteless, odourless and insoluble.
Pigment-grade TiO 2 particles are approximately nm in dimension and this form accounts for 98 percent of total production. Nano, or ultrafine TiO 2 comprises of primary particles sized less than nm. In this grade, titanium dioxide is transparent colourless and boasts improved UV scattering and absorbing properties compared with larger particle-size, pigment-grade TiO 2.
Titanium is one of the most common metals on earth, but it does not occur naturally in this elemental form.
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