Nanosized rutile titanium dioxide (TiO₂) is used in inorganic pigments and cosmetics because of its high whiteness and duality. The high quality of the white pigments depends on their surface coating technique via the solgel process. SiO₂ coatings are required to improve the dispersibility, UV-blocking, and whiteness of TiO₂. Tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) is an important coating precursor owing to its ability to control various thicknesses and densities. In addition, we use Na₂SiO₃ (sodium silicate) as a precursor because of its low cost. Compared to TEOS, which controls the pH using a basic catalyst, Na₂SiO₃ controls the pH using an acid catalyst, giving a uniform coating. The coating thickness of TiO₂ is controlled using a surface modifier, cetrimonium bromide, which is used in various applications. The shape and thickness of the nanosized coating layer on TiO₂ are analyzed using transmission electron microscopy, and the SiO₂ nanoparticle behavior in terms of the before-and-after size distribution is measured using a particle size analyzer. The color measurements of the SiO₂ pigment are performed using UV-visible spectroscopy.

Nitrogen-doped titanium dioxide (N-doped TiO₂) is attracting continuously increasing attention as a material for environmental photocatalysis. The N-atoms can occupy both interstitial and substitutional positions in the solid, with some evidence of a preference for interstitial sites. In this study, N-doped TiO₂ is prepared by the sol–gel method using NH₄OH and NH₄Cl as N ion doping agents, and the physical and photocatalytic properties with changes in the synthesis temperature and amount of agent are analyzed. The photocatalytic activities of the N-doped TiO₂ samples are evaluated based on the decomposition of methylene blue (MB) under visible-light irradiation. The addition of 5 wt% NH₄Cl produces the best physical properties. As per the UV-vis analysis results, the N-doped TiO₂ exhibits a higher visible-light activity than the undoped TiO₂. The wavelength of the N-doped TiO₂ shifts to the visible-light region up to 412 nm. In addition, this sample shows MB removal of approximately 81%, with the whiteness increasing to +97 when the synthesis temperature is 600oC. The coloration and phase structure of the N-doped TiO₂ are characterized in detail using UV-vis, CIE Lab color parameter measurements, and powder X-ray diffraction (XRD).