Rheology and UV protection properties of suspensions of fine titanium dioxides in a silicone oil

Ultrafine particles of titanium dioxide (TiO2) are very attractive as a UV protection ingredient in cosmetic products. The UV-scattering behavior of TiO2 suspensions in a silicone oil are studied in relation to rheological properties. To control the dispersion stability of suspensions, two types of polyether-modified silicones are used as dispersants. When the suspensions are prepared with branch-type dispersants in which the polyether groups are incorporated as side chains along the backbone, the flow is shear-thinning even at low shear rates. The appearance of plateaus in the frequency-dependence curves of storage modulus implies the solidlike responses. On the other hand, the suspensions prepared with linear conformation dispersants, in which the silicone group and polyether group are alternately repeated in one long chain, are Newtonian at low shear rates. The suspensions are regarded as liquids, because the storage modulus decreases rapidly in the low-frequency region. The suspension rheology is strongly associated with flocculated structures that are primarily controlled by the interparticle attractions. The differences in rheological behavior can be explained by the differences in the adsorbed conformation of dispersant silicones. From optical measurements, it is confirmed that UV scattering increases with decreasing flocculation degree. Therefore, good agreement is established between rheological properties and UV protection ability. (c) 2005 Published by Elsevier Inc.