Surface modification of TiO2 nanoparticles through plasma polymerization of acrylic acid

In this Letter, the surface of TiO2 nanoparticles was modified through plasma polymerization. HRTEM (high-resolution transmission electron microscopy), EDS (energy dispersive spectroscopy), FTIR (Fourier-transformed infrared) spectroscopy and TOFSIMS (time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy) were employed to characterize surface morphology and the chemical structure of the plasma-modified TiO2 nanoparticles. The dispersion behavior of coated TiO2 nanoparticles in ethylene glycol was analyzed through final sedimentation measurement. It was found that the TiO2 nanoparticle was coated with an ultrathin film (about 3–5 nm) through plasma polymerization and the dispersion behavior of the plasma-treated nanoparticles in solvents was found to have improved.