Abstract
In this study, methyltrimethoxysilane (MTMOS), methyltriethoxysilane (MTEOS), tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), and titanium(IV) isopropoxide (TTIP) were used as precursor sols to prepare wood-inorganic composites (WICs) by a sol-gel process, and subsequently, the long-term creep behavior of these composites was estimated by application of the stepped isostress method (SSM). The results revealed that the flexural modulus of wood and WICs were in the range of 9.8–10.5 GPa, and there were no significant differences among them. However, the flexural strength of the WICs (93–103 MPa) was stronger than that of wood (86 MPa). Additionally, based on the SSM processes, smooth master curves were obtained from different SSM testing parameters, and they fit well with the experimental data. These results demonstrated that the SSM was a useful approach to evaluate the long-term creep behavior of wood and WICs. According to the Eyring equation, the activation volume of the WICs prepared from MTMOS (0.825 nm3) and TEOS (0.657 nm3) was less than that of the untreated wood (0.832 nm3). Furthermore, the WICs exhibited better performance on the creep resistance than that of wood, except for the WICMTEOS. The reduction of time-dependent modulus for the WIC prepared from MTMOS was 26% at 50 years, which is the least among all WICs tested. These findings clearly indicate that treatment with suitable metal alkoxides could improve the creep resistance of wood.
Highlights
Wood and wood-based composites have been widely used in everyday human lives
These wood-inorganic composites (WICs) have been proven to be effective in improving the flame retardancy, thermal stability, UV stability, and fungal resistance compared to wood [10,13,14,15,16,17]
WICTTIP was made directly from the oven-dried wood, while the wood used to make WICMTMOS, WICMTEOS, and WICTEOS was conditioned at 20 ◦ C/65% RH for one week before preparation
Summary
Wood and wood-based composites have been widely used in everyday human lives Those materials have some disadvantage properties (e.g., dimensional instability, susceptibility to biological degradation, and flammability), limiting their exterior application and long-term utilization [1,2]. The sol-gel derived wood-inorganic composite (WIC) approaches have received a lot of attention over the last few years [8,9,10,11,12] These WICs have been proven to be effective in improving the flame retardancy, thermal stability, UV stability, and fungal resistance compared to wood [10,13,14,15,16,17]. In the present study, MTMOS, methyltriethoxysilane (MTEOS), tetraethoxysilane (TEOS), and titanium(IV) isopropoxide (TTIP) were used as precursor sols to prepare various sol-gel derived WICs, and the long-term creep behavior of all the WICs was predicted using the SSM
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 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 callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
