The disclosure is directed to a method for reducing the chemical activity and photo activity of titanium dioxide nanoparticles comprising adding an amorphous alumina-stabilizing agent, specifically an anion, such as citric acid, to an aqueous slurry of the titanium dioxide nanoparticles; treating the aqueous slurry with a source of alumina, such as a solution of sodium aluminate, to form alumina-treated titanium dioxide nanoparticles; recovering the alumina-treated inorganic nanoparticles, wherein the nanoparticles have a particle size of about 50 to about 300 nm; and milling the nanoparticles to form nanoparticles having a particle size about 15% smaller than silica-treated inorganic nanoparticles milled under similar conditions. The titanium dioxide nanoparticles described herein are useful in cosmetic, coating and thermoplastic compositions.

The present invention relates to a coating composition for coating various substrates, particularly automotive bodies. A crosslinkable component of the composition includes an acid functional acrylic copolymer polymerized from a monomer mixture comprising 2 percent to 12 percent of one or more carboxylic acid group containing monomers, percentages based on total weight of the acid functional acrylic copolymer, and 0.2 percent to 2 percent of amorphous silica, percentages based on total weight of the crosslinkable component. The crosslinking component can includes polyisocyanates, melamines, or a combination thereof.