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

Abstract

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. © 2010 The Author(s).