title: Formation and Controlled Growth of Bismuth Titanate Phases into Mesoporous Silica Nanoparticles: An Efficient Self-Sealing Nanosystem for UV Filtering in Cosmetic Formulation.
abstract: The application of nanosized inorganic UV filters in cosmetic field is limited by their high photocatalytic properties that could induce the degradation or dangerous transformation of the organic molecules in sunscreen formulations. To overcome this problem and simultaneously enlarge the window of filter's absorption, we propose the growth of bismuth titanates BixTiyOzinto mesoporous silica nanoparticles (MSN). We investigated the chemical-physical properties by means of XRPD, TEM, UV-vis spectroscopy, N2physisorption, XPS, and SF-ICP-MS analysis, while the influence on the environment was evaluated through photocatalytic tests. The growing process of this new nanosystem is discussed underlining the key role of the Bi3+ion that, acting as a low-melting point agent for the silica framework, led to a self-sealing mechanism. The excellent UV shielding properties combined with a radical suppression of the photocatalytic activity make the proposed nanosystem a perfect candidate for the development of the next generation nanomaterials for sunscreen formulations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Sciences and Nanosystems and Centro di Microscopia Elettronica "Giovanni Stevanato", Università Ca' Foscari di Venezia , Via Torino 155/b, Venezia-Mestre I-30172, Italy.
authors.forename: Gloria
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2418-3994
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zaccariello
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Sciences and Nanosystems and Centro di Microscopia Elettronica "Giovanni Stevanato", Università Ca' Foscari di Venezia , Via Torino 155/b, Venezia-Mestre I-30172, Italy.
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Back
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Sciences and Nanosystems and Centro di Microscopia Elettronica "Giovanni Stevanato", Università Ca' Foscari di Venezia , Via Torino 155/b, Venezia-Mestre I-30172, Italy.
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zanello
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Sciences and Nanosystems and Centro di Microscopia Elettronica "Giovanni Stevanato", Università Ca' Foscari di Venezia , Via Torino 155/b, Venezia-Mestre I-30172, Italy.
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1604-5265
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Canton
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Sciences and Nanosystems and Centro di Microscopia Elettronica "Giovanni Stevanato", Università Ca' Foscari di Venezia , Via Torino 155/b, Venezia-Mestre I-30172, Italy.
authors.forename: Elti
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cattaruzza
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Sciences and Nanosystems and Centro di Microscopia Elettronica "Giovanni Stevanato", Università Ca' Foscari di Venezia , Via Torino 155/b, Venezia-Mestre I-30172, Italy.
authors.forename: Pietro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Riello
authors.affiliation: Istituto Superiore di Sanità, Bioelement and Health Unit, Department of Environment and Health, Italian National Institute for Health , Viale Regina Elena 299, Rome 00161, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Alimonti
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Sciences and Nanosystems and Centro di Microscopia Elettronica "Giovanni Stevanato", Università Ca' Foscari di Venezia , Via Torino 155/b, Venezia-Mestre I-30172, Italy.
authors.forename: Alvise
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Benedetti
keywords: TiO2; bismuth titanate; inorganic sunscreen; mesoporous silica nanoparticles; photocatalysis