Synthesis of metallic gold colored α-Al₂O₃ nanoplate-TiO₂ core-shell pigments with robust and photo-stable smooth TiO₂ shell

To synthesize non-corrosive metallic gold colored α-Al₂O₃ nanoplate-TiO₂ core-shell pigments with controlled roughness, we systematically checked the morphological variation of the TiO₂ shell with the mole ratio of TiCl₄ and NaOH from 1: 1 to 1: 1.5, 1: 2, 1: 2.5, 1: 3, 1: 3.5, and 1: 4. The more increased mole ratio of TiCl₄ and NaOH resulted in the smoother TiO₂ shell due to the promoted formation of anatase TiO₂ than that of the rutile one. By the heat-treatment of pigments at 500ºC, we could improve the adhesiveness between TiO₂ shell and α-Al₂O₃ nanoplates without changing their topology and roughness. In addition, the α-Al₂O₃ nanoplate with the robust TiO₂ by heat-treatment exhibited comparable photo-stability against photo-catalytic degradation by UV exposure compared with the commercially available α-Al₂O₃/TiO₂ lustering pigment.