Engineering Science and Materials Commons^™

Naturally Occurring Nanoparticles From English Ivy: An Alternative To Metal-Based Nanoparticles For Uv Protection, Lijin Xia, Scott C. Lenaghan, Mingjun Zhang, Zhili Zhang, Quanshui Li

Faculty Publications and Other Works -- Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering/Engineering Science (MAES) (UTSI)

Background

Over the last decade safety concerns have arisen about the use of metal-based nanoparticles in the cosmetics field. Metal-based nanoparticles have been linked to both environmental and animal toxicity in a variety of studies. Perhaps the greatest concern involves the large amounts of TiO₂ nanoparticles that are used in commercial sunscreens. As an alternative to using these potentially hazardous metal-based nanoparticles, we have isolated organic nanoparticles from English ivy (Hedera helix). In this study, ivy nanoparticles were evaluated for their potential use in sunscreens based on four criteria: 1) ability to absorb and scatter ultraviolet light, …