Preparation of niacinamide-TiO₂ hybrid composite materials with antimicrobial properties and enhanced thermal durability

Niacinamide (vitamin B3) has been proven to have significant effects on skin treatment such as reductions in wrinkles and hyperpigmentation. However, naturally occurring topical skin lightening agents have very low thermal stability and insufficient skin penetration efficiency. To overcome these problems, niacinamide was combined with TiO₂ through chemical bond. First, hydroxylation treatment was carried out to introduce hydroxyl chemical binders on the surface of TiO₂ for chemical reaction with amine group in niacinamide. The niacinamide-TiO₂ composites were characterized through FE-SEM, EDS, XPS, FT-IR and atomic mapping. The thermal stability of niacinamide in composite was investigated with TGA measurements. Antimicrobial efficiency of composites was also evaluated for gram negative Escherichia coli and gram positive Staphylococcus aureus. As a result of the hybridization, niaciamide-TiO₂ composites demonstrated enhanced thermal stability and antimicrobial properties, which made it a suitable candidate for applications in cosmetics and personal care products.