Consideration of roles of commercial TiO2 pigments in aromatic polyurethane coating via the photodegradation of dimethyl toluene-2,4-dicarbamate in non-aqueous solution

Dimethyl toluene-2,4-dicarbamate (2,4-TDC) was selected as a model compound for aromatic polyurethane to investigate the photo-chemical behavior of commercial TiO2 pigments in non-aqueous solution. The UV–Visible spectrometry analysis results showed that the UV-shielding ability of the rutile TiO2 pigment was better than that of the anatase TiO2 pigment. Photodegradation experiments suggested that the photodegradation of 2,4-TDC was retarded by rutile TiO2 pigment, while accelerated by anatase TiO2 pigment. With the help of the degradation intermediates during the photodegradation process and calculated data, such as point charges and bond length, the preliminary photodegradation mechanism of 2,4-TDC was also briefly elucidated, including the addition of hydroxyl radicals and the cleavage of the carbamate side chain. Additionally, the photodegradation of 2,4-TDC was used to evaluate the photoreactivity of TiO2 pigments, this is proved to an efficient approach with potential application in industry.