ZnSnO ternary metal oxide for ultraviolet radiation filter application: a comparative study with TiO and ZnO.

Ultraviolet (UV) radiation causes serious health risks. Inorganic metal oxides, such as titanium dioxide (TiO) and zinc oxide (ZnO), have long been recognized for their effectiveness as UV radiation filters/blockers in sunscreen formulations. TiO and ZnO as UV-blocking materials have some limitations and issues such as producing harmful radicals and toxicity, respectively. As a result, there is a growing need to develop efficient and safe UV-blocking materials to overcome these limitations associated with the conventional TiO and ZnO materials. Zinc stannate (ZnSnO), as a ternary metal oxide, is expected to be a promising candidate due to its optical properties and potential for UV-blocking capability. This study presents a comprehensive investigation into the development and characterization of ZnSnO as a potential alternative UV filter to TiO and ZnO. The fundamental characteristics, including structural, optical, and photocatalytic characteristics, as well as cell viability, were investigated for two ZnSnO morphologies: cubic aggregate ZnSnO nanoparticles (ZTO CANP) and ZnSnO nanoparticles (ZTO NP), which were compared with the performance of TiO nanoparticles (TiO NP) and ZnO nanoparticles (ZnO NP). Interestingly, in addition to their promising UVB and partial UVA blocking properties, ZTO CANP and ZTO NP were found to be relativity photocatalytically inactive materials, which means they produce less free radical species as in the case of TiO NP, and they cannot be considered as toxic materials as in the case of ZnO NP. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first direct comparison study examining the performance of ZnSnO ternary metal oxide for its potential use as a UV filter. Further research and optimization need to be conducted on these materials, particularly on ZTO CANP as a promising alternative UV filter.