Moisture-cured elastomeric transparent UV and X-ray shielding organic–inorganic hybrids

We report the synthesis and characterization of a kind of silane-terminated poly(ether–urethane) (PEU)-titania elastomeric hybrid for UV and X-ray shielding application. The hybrids can be easily synthesized by a moisture-cured sol–gel process at room temperature. Strong interactions between the organic and inorganic domains in these hybrids are obtained through the hydrolysis–condensation of the silane end group of the prepolymer with titanium isopropoxide (TTIP), which forms a 3D hybrid network. These hybrids exhibit adjustable mechanical properties, in a range dependent on the organic/inorganic content ratio, e.g., the hybrid containing 40 wt% of TTIP exhibits 69.3% elongation at break and excellent resilience. They show intrinsic optical transparency and the ability to completely block UV radiation in the range of UV-B and UV-A2, as well as excellent X-ray radiation blocking property. This study opens the possibility for using elastomeric coating and sealant in advanced personal protection equipments for shielding radiations.