Abstract
Developing a practical strategy to fabricate an anti-abrasion and durable superhydrophobic wood surface with ultraviolet (UV) resistance has great practical significance for expanding the application of natural wood. In this study, a robust superhydrophobic layer with a hierarchical micro/nano-roughness structure was modified on the wood surface through in-situ mineralization and polymerization using a simple sol–gel method along with efficient electron beam (EB) curing technology. Hydrophobic agent (polydimethylsiloxane, PDMS), and crosslinking monomer (γ-methacryloxypropyl trimethoxysilane, MAPS) form new covalent bonds between TiO2 particle layer and wood substrate after EB radiation, which endows robust superhydrophobicity and remarkable UV resistance on the wood surface. The as-prepared wood exhibited a water contact angle of approximately 165.7° and obvious repellency to many aqua-phase liquids (cola, strongly acidic, alkaline droplets etc.). Furthermore, the hierarchical micro/nano-protrusion structures remained unchanged and micro/nano particles aggregated tightly on the as-prepared wood surface under harsh external environments (sandpaper abrasion and, ultrasonic treatment), confirming the desirable anti-abrasion and mechanically durable performance of the superhydrophobic surface. After the 18-day UV accelerated weathering test, the TiO2 particle layer conspicuously retained the discoloration and maintained its exceptional repellency toward water. The biomimetic superhydrophobic wood with excellent mechanical durability and UV resistance reveals its potential application in the furniture and architecture fields.
Highlights
As an abundant renewable material, wood has been ubiquitously adopted in domestic housing decoration, building structures, and transportation field owing to its innate properties such as hierarchical structure, degradability, compatibility, and affordability (Chao et al 2020; Guan et al 2018; Mahltig et al 2008; Zhu et al 2016)
A durable superhydrophobic layer was efficiently constructed on the wood surface through in-situ deposition of hierarchical TiO2 and a hydrophobic PDMS layer and crosslinking monomer MAPS
As a representative high-efficiency energy source, electron beam (EB) was used to induce the polymerization of free radicals on the wood surface with C = C bonds in MAPS, strengthening the interface binding force of the superhydrophobic layer and wood surface
Summary
As an abundant renewable material, wood has been ubiquitously adopted in domestic housing decoration, building structures, and transportation field owing to its innate properties such as hierarchical structure, degradability, compatibility, and affordability (Chao et al 2020; Guan et al 2018; Mahltig et al 2008; Zhu et al 2016). It has been realized that amelioration on wooden substrates can explicitly contain two aspects: (i) the existence of an interface binding force between the superhydrophobic layer and wood substrate and (ii) the strength of the micro/nano-roughness structure itself (Zhang et al 2021) Based on these perceptions, considerable design strategies have been developed to construct robust superhydrophobic surfaces, such as using pretreated wood surfaces with stable hydrophobic material, creating a self-healing (light irradiation, high temperature) superhydrophobic coating and enhancing the adhesion between the superhydrophobic layer and wooden substrates (increasing the adhesive layer) (Jia et al 2019; Tu et al 2018; Yang et al 2021). Our protocol can be anticipated to overcome the limitations of the superhydrophobic wood preparation procedure, achieving large-scale and highefficiency manufacture of multifunctional superhydrophobicity wood
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
