Reversible volumetric changes of acetylated wood with after-treatments

Abstract

Dimensional changes of acetylated wood were measured during wet–dry cycling and heating to clarify the reversible and irreversible effects of those after-treatments. During wet–dry cycling, the acetylated wood showed slight swelling in its completely dry condition, while its weight decreased slightly. Similar swelling was recognized when the acetylated wood was heated dry above 140°C. On the other hand, the anomalous effects of wet–dry cycling and heating disappeared after soaking in acetone. It was considered that the rearrangement of hydrophobic wood polymers during wet–dry cycling and heating induced the expansion of voids, whereas the wood polymers recovered their initial conformation after soaking in organic liquids. The wet volume of acetylated wood also exhibited reversible changes during wet–dry cycling. Just after the acetylation, the wood was highly swollen in acetic anhydride. The swollen volume of acetylated wood was reduced by leaching in water, and additional decrease in the wet volume resulted from the following drying or boiling. However, the reduced wet volume was recovered almost completely after acetone-soaking. These results suggested that the water molecules remaining in the hydrophobic region expanded the wet volume of acetylated wood, while such weakly bound water was easily removable by drying or boiling.