Preparation, optical properties, and thermal stability of polyvinyl butyral composite films containing core (lanthanum hexaboride)–shell (titanium dioxide)-structured nanoparticles

Nano-sized lanthanum hexaboride (LaB6)@ titanium dioxide (TiO2) particles with a core–shell structure has been successfully synthesized via a simple sol–gel method. LaB6@TiO2 particles were used as filler in polyvinyl butyral (PVB) matrix and performance of the TiO2 shell was evaluated. The core–shell nanoparticles were characterized for morphology and structure properties. X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscope testing results confirm the formation of LaB6–TiO2 core–shell structure. In composite film, LaB6 improved the thermo-decomposing temperature of PVB matrix from 369.2 to 372.8°C, while the same amount of LaB6@TiO2 further increased the temperature to 381.0°C. In addition, TiO2 shell redshifted the maximum transmittance of the film from 605 to 669 nm in the visible region. In the near infrared region, its absorption peak shifted from 1,466 to 1,476 nm. This result will be helpful for the development of transparent and thermal insulating materials.