Abstract
Abstract In this work, a non-fluorinated surface treatment, i.e., hydrophobized silicone nanofilaments, was applied on both birch and acetylated birch wood samples via a gas-phase based reaction. A superhydrophobic behavior was observed on both the surface-modified samples as revealed by the static water contact angles (CAs) greater than 160°, also valid for samples prepared with the shortest reaction time of 1 h. The dynamic wettability behavior of the samples was studied by a multicycle Wilhelmy plate method. The surface-modified acetylated birch exhibited a pronounced enhanced water resistance, resulting in very low water uptake of 3 ± 1 wt% after 100 cycles, which was not only about 29 and 5 times lower than that of the non-surface-modified birch and acetylated birch, respectively, but also three times lower than that of the surface-modified birch. Moreover, the aesthetic appearance of the acetylated wood was maintained as the surface modification only resulted in a small color change. This work shows the potential of preparing super water-repellent wood by non-fluorinated surface modification.
Highlights
Owing to its renewability and sustainable forestry, wood is today the most abundant and low-carbon emitting material for large scale uses in the construction and furniture industries
In our previous work (Yin et al 2020), we showed that fluorinated silicone nanofilaments layers could improve the liquid repellence of wood surfaces, leading to high static contact angles and low liquid uptake rate and level towards water, ethylene glycol and hexadecane
It has been shown that the silicone nanofilaments can form in a rather broad RH range, i.e., between 20% and 60% RH, at room temperature during the synthesis (Artus et al 2017, Olveira et al 2018)
Summary
Owing to its renewability and sustainable forestry, wood is today the most abundant and low-carbon emitting material for large scale uses in the construction and furniture industries. Improving the water-resistance of wood-based products has gained increased attention in recent years (Cademartori et al 2017, Hill (2006), Källbom et al 2018, Meyer-Veltrup et al 2017). Apart from the increased moisture resistance, the acetylated wood shows improved physical, mechanical and biological properties (Bongers et al 2019, Chai et al 2017). There has been a growing interest in using acetylated wood for improving the performance of wood in recent years (Beck et al 2018, Hansmann et al 2004, Hung et al 2016, Joffre et al 2017, Laine et al 2016, Ringman et al 2020). Studies show that acetylation of wood only increases the apparent water contact angle to a minor extent, e.g. from 69° to 83° (Bryne et al 2010), which suggests that the wood is still prone to interaction with moisture, increasing the risk e.g. for surface discoloration and mold growth
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