The study of processes affecting the radiation resistance of TiO2 powders after heating and modification with SiO2 nanoparticles

We have investigated the processes occurring within titanium dioxide powders heated and modified by silicon dioxide nanoparticles at 150, 400, and 800 °C. It has been figured out that the mentioned modification stipulates the increase in the powders’ radiation resistance. While investigating, we employed methods of the near-/mid-infrared regions spectrophotometry, derivatography, and mass spectrometry. The research results show that the increase in the radiation resistance at the heating is stipulated by a number of factors, namely (1) the desorption of the physically/chemically bound gases, (2) upfilling of the released bonds with the oxygen molecules, and (3) the improvement of titanium dioxide stoichiometry on the surface. The after-modification radiation resistance increases excessively (as opposed to the heating) due to the fact that the electron–hole pairs relaxate on the nanoparticles, which precipitate onto the surface of titanium dioxide powder.