Arminger Benjamin, Gindl-Altmutter Wolfgang, Keckes Jozef, Hansmann Christian
Wood K plus - Competence Centre for Wood Composites and Wood Chemistry Konrad-Lorenz-Straße 24 3430 Tulln Austria
Department of Material Science and Process Engineering, Institute of Wood Technology and Renewable Materials, BOKU University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Konrad-Lorenz-Straße 24 3430 Tulln Austria
RSC Adv. 2019 Aug 6;9(42):24357-24367. doi: 10.1039/c9ra03700d. eCollection 2019 Aug 2.
The prevention of excessive water uptake in wood in order to avert discoloration, swelling and decay is a major challenge for wood-based applications. We developed a facile surface treatment to protect wood from liquid water uptake that does not require harsh process conditions or toxic solvents. Water-based and surfactant-free dispersions of sub-micron alkyl ketene dimer wax particles were prepared and sprayed onto wood substrates. After the evaporation of water, the wax particles self-assembled into distinctive platelet structures. Depending on the specific conditions of application, water contact angles as high as 166° were measured on treated wood surfaces. The implementation of sub-micro structures clearly reduced surface gloss but transparency and color remained largely unaffected. The method is comparably cost-effective and scalable, overcoming dimensional limitations crucial for many applications of wood.
