Synthesis and Investigation of Infrared (IR) Reflective Properties of Iron-Titanium Based Core-shell Cool Pigment

Recently, the use of high reflective pigments as cool pigments is taken into consideration to reduce energy consumption in buildings, especially in tropical regions. The aim of this study is to synthesize the iron oxide (hematite) -titanium dioxide pigment and investigate the infrared reflection properties in different synthesis conditions. For synthesis, combination of sol-gel and co-precipitation method was used. The effect of synthesis method and calcination on IR reflection was investigated. Compositions of products and powder morphology were analyzed using X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Field emission scanning microscopy (FESEM) and Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) methods. The results of XRD showed that titanium oxide delayed the crystallization of iron oxide. By examining the reflection spectra of the powders, it was observed that the infrared reflection increases significantly by crystallization. Overall it was seen that the Fe2O3@TiO2 core shell structure can be considered as a suitable cool pigment with good NIR reflection for energy saving applications.