Transparent nanocomposites of high refractive index based on epoxy resin and TiO2 nanoparticle

A stepwise sol-gel method for the synthesis of stable colloidal TiO2 using hydrolysis and condensation reactions of titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTP) was investigated. The surface modification was carried out using 3-glycidoxypropyltrimethoxysilane (GPTMS). The particle size range of the modified TiO2 observed by TEM was 3-8 nm. The nanocomposites based on an epoxy resin and the modified TiO2 showed strong UV absorption, but maintained high transmittance within the visible region. TEM images of the nanocomposites confirmed the homogenous and fine dispersion of the TiO2 nanoparticles in the epoxy resin. The refractive index of the nanocomposites increased linearly with increasing TiO2 content. With 60% TiO2 by weight, the transmittance and refractive index of the nanocomposite were 98.4% and 1.657, respectively.