Nanostructured zinc oxide particles are transparent in the visible range of the spectrum and act as physical filters against the UVB and especially UVA radiation of the sun. Since the particles act as small mirrors that absorb and reflect the UV rays, they have become interesting sun protective additives. In spite of their tiny size, these particles are not absorbed from sun protection products by healthy skin. This has been shown by investigations conducted by industrial firms as well as by independent studies carried out within the framework of the EU project NANODERM. Since zinc oxide is characterized both by its UVA/UVB protection properties and by transparency, it is used in textiles as well as in clear varnishes applied in the wood and furniture industry. The ZnO nanoparticles that are used in artificial glass are highly transparent (> 90 % light transmission) in the visible spectral area and opaque to UV radiation (< 10 % light transmission) for wave lengths below 360 nm. Zinc oxide is used to provide semiconductors with transparent conductive layers and is found, in addition, in blue light emitting diodes (LED), liquid-crystal display devices with thin-film transistors (TFT), varistors (VDR - voltage-dependent resistors), and thin-layer solar cells.

Literature

1. Römpp online
   
2. Klingshirn et al. (2006) Physik Journal, 5 (1)
   
3. Klingshirn (2007) ChemPhysChem, 8, 782 ? 803
   
4. Fallert et al. (2008) Optics Express 16 (2)
   
5. http://www.nanoproducts.de/
   
6. http://www.uni-leipzig.de/~nanoderm/
   
7. http://corporate.basf.com/de/

NanoCare data sheet for download

Data sheet zinc oxide.pdf