Effect of Vacuum Freeze-drying on Enhancing Liquid Permeability of Moso Bamboo

Abstract

Permeability has been proven useful and important in the application and basic research of biomaterials, such as anti-mildew, dyeing, or other impregnated modification, especially in the study of bamboo. However, the traditional methods of improving bamboo’s permeability are chemical treatments and destructive physical treatments. This study proposed an innovative way to produce more porous bamboo with effective penetration via the vacuum freeze-dried method. The greatest advantage of this method is that the original form of bamboo was preserved according to the three-phase principle of water. From scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP), the pore characteristics and microstructure of moso bamboo were characterized, the porosity of bamboo increased to 73%, a microporous bamboo was formed, and the liquid penetration of bamboo improved noticeably. Meanwhile, the vacuum freeze-dried method turned bamboo into a mould-preservation biomaterial that effectively removed starch grains. Moreover, testing the mechanical properties showed that the vacuum freeze-dried method did not have a noticeable impact on bamboo’s mechanical properties, although it had a remarkable impact during later-stage processing and utilization. More importantly, this work provided a good example with which to expand high-value applications of bamboo resources.