Preparation of nano‐sized UV‐absorbing titanium‐oxo‐clusters via a photo‐curing ceramer process

A titanium sol‐gel precursor, titanium (IV) isopropoxide (TIP), was mixed with an epoxidized linseed oil (ELO). Using a cationic super‐acid photoinitiator, triarylsulfonium hexafluoroantimonate, both the organic phase (ELO) and the inorganic phase (TIP) were concomitantly cured. The exposure to moisture was strictly controlled before and during the UV‐curing process. The UV‐Visible spectra, SAXs (small angle X‐ray), DMA (dynamic mechanical properties), and contact angle were investigated as a function of sol‐gel precursor. The UV‐Visible spectra revealed that the inorganic/organic hybrid materials were more effective at blocking the UV‐light than nanoparticulate titanium dioxide while maintaining complete transparency in the visible region. The contact angle data indicated that the inorganic phase preferentially was concentrated at the film‐surface interface. The SAXs data was indicative of a 2‐‐5 nm titanium‐oxo‐cluster size, and the DMA data suggests a well distributed system.