Titania nanoparticles coated on polycarbonate car headlights for self-cleaning purpose

Abstract

Due to the quick advancement of automotive headlights from glass to polycarbonate (PC) plastic, ultraviolet (UV) hard coating that offers excellent properties are ideal in meeting the requirements of modern designs. However, PC is known to deteriorate upon exposure to sunlight, moisture, dirt and other environmental conditions. In this work, TiO2 in the form of suspensions were attached on the PC sheet's surface that had been modified by sodium hydroxide (NaOH) and 3-aminopropyltrimethoxysilane (APTMS). FESEM results showed that the TiO2 are almost spherical in shape and agglomerated. Analysis using GI-XRD showed that the coated samples were of anatase phase with low crystallinity. Based on the results, it was found that TiO2 prepared via method 3 coated on PC sheets managed to produce a more uniform coating, with the strongest adhesion, although with some reduction in transparency. The photocatalytic activity testing was carried out through the photodegradation of methyl orange (MO) under UV light irradiation and it was found that the prepared samples were able to decompose MO, although not at a lower percentage. It can also be observed that PC sheet coated with TiO2 prepared by method 3 showed a higher photocatalytic activity as compared to the other method.