Abstract
Cyclic N-methylol compounds such as 1,3-dimethylol-4,5-dihydroxyethyleneurea (DMDHEU) have been used to modify wood and prevent negative effects related to the uptake of moisture. However, the changes in the sorption behavior of wood by treatments with DMDHEU and its derivatives are not fully understood. In the present study, wood blocks were treated with DMDHEU, ether-modified DMDHEU and diethyleneglycolated DMDHEU in order to study the factors that control the changes in moisture uptake in the hygroscopic range (0–95% RH). Dimensional changes of wood blocks during water soaking cycles suggested that the treatments caused a permanent cell wall bulking, whereas the swelling restraint by cross-linking of adjacent cell wall polymers was not permanent. However, the changes in water vapor sorption were not only a result of the cell wall bulking effect that reduced the space in the cell wall to accommodate water. The N-methylol compounds within the wood also provided additional sorption sites, but there was no correlation between absorbed water and accessible OH groups. It was speculated that the co-condensation of the N-methylol compounds with wood polymers had a significant effect on the sorption of the treated wood. At elevated RH, pure resins that were formed by self-condensation took up large quantities of moisture. However, when the N-methylol compounds were heat-cured within the hierarchical structure of wood, the moisture uptake of the treated wood at elevated RH was even lower compared to unmodified wood. Furthermore, the covalent bond formation between wood and resin prolonged the attainment of an equilibrium moisture content.
Highlights
Cyclic N-methylol compounds such as 1,3-dimethylol-4,5-dihydroxyethyleneurea (DMDHEU) can be used to modify wood and improve its service life in exterior applications [1, 2]
The present study investigated how treatments with DMDHEU and its derivatives affect the water vapor sorption behavior of wood in the hygroscopic range (0–95% RH)
In methylated DMDHEU (mDMDHEU), the reaction of the DMDHEU with methanol may contribute to this band; a larger absorbance at ca. 1724 cm-1 was found in the Fourier-transform infrared (FT-IR) spectra of resins formed from mDMDHEU and mDMDHEU ? DEG
Summary
Cyclic N-methylol compounds such as 1,3-dimethylol-4,5-dihydroxyethyleneurea (DMDHEU) can be used to modify wood and improve its service life in exterior applications [1, 2]. Cyclic N-methylol compounds like DMDHEU were developed and used for finishing cellulose-based fabrics [7], but can be applied for the impregnation modification of wood [1]. Watersoluble DMDHEU monomers are synthesized from urea, glyoxal and formaldehyde, with two hydroxymethyl groups (–CH2–OH) being the reactive functional groups in this molecule. They can be ethermodified (mDMDHEU) by reaction with methanol (CH3) and further modified using diethylene glycol (C4H10O3, DEG). During a heat cure at elevated temperature, the formation of ether bonds by reaction of the hydroxymethyl groups with hydroxyl (OH) groups of cellulose (co-condensation) or with OH groups of adjacent DMDHEU monomers (self-condensation) is the reaction mechanisms of DMDHEU in cellulosebased fabrics [7]
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