I was just at a presentation where an Architect was talking about using this as a coating on most of the exterior of a building. They made it seem like a miracle substance - does everything including curing the common cold. Does this stuff really work, or is it just more snake oil?
Did a google, got this site Photocatalysis Applications of Titanium Dioxide Ti02 - TitaniumArt.com
Other than that I got nuttin.
Neat website. Never heard of this before. Is it inert if ingested or what? (forgive me if that’s an ignorant question.)
Ugh, it melted half that woman’s face!
I’ve studied* quite a bit about titanium dioxide (I assume we’re talking about nanoparticles here?) so hopefully I can answer some of this.
Nanoparticles of silver and titanium dioxide are added to a lot of paints to improve their durability. These additives make the paint weather proof and give it antibiotic properties. They are wonderous little bastards. Nanoparticles are also commonly used in solar panels - CIGS ink being a promising new development.
But titanium dioxide nanoparticles are showing up everywhere there is an electronic device - one company worked out how to develop bulk nanoparticle TiO2 and sells it by the ton, plus they use it in their other projects like lithium-ion batteries and even pharmaceuticals. It is very useful as an electrode, among other things, and would be a vital component in nearly any photosynthetic paints on the market.
As for ingesting the stuff - don’t. There has been no proven health detriments (that I know of) but due to its size it is speculated to cause all kinds of cellular damage. Same with breathing it and touching it - I wouldn’t mind getting some of the stuff on me, but caution would be prefered. If it were applied to a surface, it would be sealed behind a layer of some kind, so the finished product would be as safe as anything else out there.
In conclusion, nanoparticles rule. Though what exactly did the architect from the OP claim they could do? They can do a lot.
*3 years as an undergraduate student, Bachelor of Science (Nanotechnology). Spent much of my degree talking about the stuff, and a large chunk of last session focusing on TiO2 specifically.
But if they aren’t talking about nanoparticles, which I doubt they are, since they are talking about using it as an industrial coating, it’s just white paint. Most paints use TiO2 as the white pigment. There are numerous uses for TiO2 in the paint and coatings industry, and the cosmetic and possibly the food industry. I have heard conflicting accounts as to whether there is or isn’t a food grade TiO2 approved for use in consumables. Some say the creme filling in an Oreo uses TiO2 to get its color. I don’t think so, but I could be wrong, I don’t have a package availiable to see if its listed in the ingredients.
My take on this is that someone has found a way to play up the characteristics of TiO2 in a completely different environment, and claim that it conferrs magical properties to standard old white paint. In other words, snake oil.
I do agree with AllWalker that nanoparticles can be cool in the right applications. I also think they might present a host of biological dangers due to the small size of the particles. It’s fascinating to me, that the properties of a solid can be changed so significantly by a reduction in size
I don’t know anything about the use of photocatalytic TiO2 in paint, but I know it’s used very successfully in self cleaning window glass. No snake oil. But it won’t make your hair bouncier or your teeth whiter.
But will it make my hair whiter and my teeth bouncier? :dubious:
Is this the stuff I’d read and seen a video about a year or two ago that, when coating buildings and the like, can filter and neutralize CO[sub]2[/sub] emissions?
Why yes, I do believe titanium dioxide can make your hair whiter. It comes in a can labeled “Dutch Boy”. 
This is all very interesting to me. I just had a conversation with somebody about nano TiO2. Sounds like cool stuff.
I don’t think eliminating CO2 is one of the claims, but they sure claim a lot of other abilities. I wonder how effective it really is (like those LED germ killer wands. Right.).
Isn’t titanium dioxide also used as a food ingredient? I recall seeing it listed in some sour gumballs I used to eat when I was a kid.
I sure hope it’s inert, because I just ate some. It’s listed as a food coloring on my gummy snacks I had this afternoon (leftover Halloween candy is almost gone). I think it was the white skull ones.
Hopefully you are not talking about ultraviolet “wands” which kill bacteria, because ,yes, those do work just fine.
Prove it.
Really? Like Ultraviolet germicidal irradiation - Wikipedia
Or are you arguing that the wands don’t produce enough ultraviolet to kill bacteria? Or that by sticking a wand in a class of contaminated water isn’t a sufficiently closed receptacle or what?
I would assume we would see a lot more dead/very sick hikers/campers if they did not, but I could be wrong…
The silver nanoparticles mentioned by Allwalker are highly antibacterial, as an aside. The antibiotic activity of silver has been known for a long time, originally observed with silver cutlery I think. You can find silver nanoparticles in things like water purification tablets, washing machines etc for this reason.
Sure UV can kill bacteria. But it takes A LOT of it. IMHO, a cheesy LED wand isn’t going to do squat unless you leave it over the poor bacterium for a long time.
An LED isn’t the same as an ultraviolet light, are you sure you’re talking about the same thing?
No, I’m not sure.
Here’s what I’m skeptical about: Portable Solar Power - Solar Products - Solar Lights - Earthtech Products
(Actually, I’m skeptical about any UV sanitizer wand, LED or not)