Titanium dioxide can form several different shapes, which have different properties. Some shapes can be converted to nanomaterials. Micronized TiO2 (also called “nano” or “nanoparticles”) was introduced in the early 1990s.Nanotechnology and micronization both refer to the practice of creating very small particles sizes of a given material. “Nanoparticles” usually refers to particles smaller than 100 nanometers; a nanometer is 1/1 billionth of a meter. At these small sizes, and at low concentrations, titanium dioxide appears transparent, allowing for effective sunscreens that do not appear white.

Titanium dioxide mainly comes from the earth’s crust, where it’s actually the ninth most common element. When processed, it becomes a fine powder with a vibrant white pigment.

Most food-grade titanium dioxide is around 200–300 nanometers (nm) in diameter. This size allows for ideal light scattering, resulting in the best color (1Trusted Source).

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