Enhancing the UV A1 screening ability of caffeic acid by encapsulation in layered basic zinc hydroxide matrix Original Research Article

An organic UV screening molecule, caffeic acid (CA), has been stabilised in a zinc basic salt (ZBS) matrix upon intercalative reaction into zinc hydroxide nitrate. According to the X-ray diffraction pattern, the basal spacing of the CA-ZBS nanohybrid is determined to be 10.4 Å, which is in agreement with a result of cross-section TEM analysis. FT-IR analysis shows that carboxylate groups in organic anions interact coordinately with zinc atoms on inorganic hydroxide sheets. The resultant CA-ZBS nanohybrid exhibits a superior UV screening ability compared to pure CA molecule.