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Titanium Dioxide
Due to some of its unique properties, titanium dioxide (TiO2), or titania, is used in a wide range of applications, and is well known in the area of nanoscience and nanotechnology. Titanium dioxide is one of the materials that initially found application in nanotechnology products. There are, however, controversies regarding the potential toxicity of titanium dioxide nanoparticles.
Titanium dioxide is a white, opaque, and naturally occurring mineral existing in a number of crystalline forms, the most important of which are rutile and ana-tase. These naturally occurring oxides can be mined, and serve as a source for commercial titanium. It is odorless and absorbent. Titanium dioxide is one of the most widely used white pigments. Its most important function in powder form is as a pigment for lending whiteness and opacity to several products. The photocatalytic activity of titanium dioxide results in thin coatings of the materials exhibiting self-cleaning and disinfecting properties under exposure to ultraviolet radiation. The photocatalytic characteristics are greatly enhanced due to the advent of nanotechnology. At nanoscale size, the surface area of titanium dioxide particles increase, and it other effects occur on optical properties and size quantization. Titania alloys are characterized by having very high tensile strength (even at high temperatures), being lightweight, having a high corrosion resistance, and having an ability to withstand extreme temperatures.
It is claimed that titanium dioxide was in use during the 15th century. Titania was once used as a bleaching and opacifying agent in porcelain enamels, giving them brightness, hardness, and acid resistance. Modern use shows a great deal of promise, and several properties of titanium dioxide can be used for commercial exploitation. These properties have already been utilized in cosmetics, such as in skincare products and sunscreen lotions, with claims that titanium dioxide protects the skin from ultraviolet radiation because of its property to absorb ultraviolet light.
Potential Benefits and Risks
Many cosmetic companies are capitalizing on metal oxide nanoparticles. Due to its bright white property, it finds application in products such as paints, coatings, papers, inks, toothpaste, face powder, and food coloring. Due to properties such as being lightweight, high corrosion resistance, and extreme temperature resistance, titania are principally used in aircraft, pipes for power plants, armor plating, naval ships, spacecrafts, and missiles. Titanium is as strong as steel but much lighter. In medicine, titanium is used to make hip and knee replacements, pacemakers, bone plates and screws, and cranial plates for skull fractures. It has potential for use in energy production, the semiconductor industry, and wastewater treatment.
Even though it is one of the most produced chemicals, the real and potential benefits of titanium dioxide are not without controversies. Titania can enter the human body through inhalation, skin contact, and eye contact. Dust inhalation may cause breathing problems, and contact with skin or eyes may cause irritation. If titanium dioxide nanoparticles are used to act as a sunscreen, they may penetrate skin cells and can cause DNA damage after exposure to sunlight. The fear is that this could lead to cancer in the skin. Titanium dioxide has recently been classified by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) as an IARC Group 2B carcinogen, “possible carcinogen to human.” Due to its suspecting carcinogenic nature, some scientists have started replacing titanium dioxide in their research works. There are, however, ongoing studies concerning the carcinogenic nature of titanium dioxide nanoparticles.
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