Amphiphilic Core/Shell Nanoparticles to Reduce Biocide Leaching From Treated Wood, 1 – Leaching and Biological Efficacy

Abstract

Core/shell nanoparticles containing the fungicide tebuconazole were prepared from amphiphilic copolymers of gelatin grafted with MMA. The grafting was performed in water at levels of 1.5–15 wt.‐% solids based on matrix mass, to give core/shell nanoparticles with median diameters ranging from ≈200 to 400 or ≈10 to 100 nm depending on composition, conditions used, and work‐up. The biocide‐containing nanoparticles were delivered into wood in up to 85% efficiency. Wood blocks treated with tebuconazole‐containing nanoparticles leached less tebuconazole than wood blocks treated with tebuconazole solutions. The best nanoparticle formulations afforded wood blocks with a biological efficacy comparable to solution‐treated wood block controls in soil jar decay tests.

Application of Nanotechnology in Wood-Based Products Industry: A Review

“…Through a smart delivery system, biocides can be delivered in a controlled and targeted manner. This will reduce hazards to human and environment [ 17 ].…”

“…Encapsulation of pesticides is a bottom-up approach. It can be carried out through several techniques such as nanoprecipitation [ 17 , 204 – 206 ], emulsion-diffusion [ 207 ] and double emulsification [ 208 ] (Table 3 ). The materials used as polymeric nanocarriers can be derived from natural polymer, synthetic polymer or combination of both [ 209 ].…”

“…Salma et al [ 17 ] used the nanoprecipitation technique to encapsulate tebuconazole. The polymer capsules containing tebuconazole were prepared from amphiphilic copolymers of gelatine grafted with methyl methacrylate with the size diameters ranging from 200 to 400 nm or 10 to 100 nm depending on core/polymer shell mass ratio.…”

“…For example, the use of nanomaterial in wood coating such as nanozinc oxide or nanotitanium oxide can enhance the functionality of the wood in terms of its durability, fire resistance and UV absorption as well as decrease of water absorption [ 14 – 16 ]. On the other hand, the application of nanoencapsulation in wood preservative [ 17 , 18 ] could improve the impregnation of wood with pesticides by ensuring that chemicals can penetrate deeper into the wood, thus reducing the issue of excessive leaching [ 19 ]. This improves the durability of treated woods against biodegradation agents.…”

Reducing copper leaching from treated wood by sol-gel derived TiO2 and SiO2 depositions

“…The chemical and physical methods were tested in this context. Lowering water uptake by treatment of wood surfaces by water repellants, polymers, and nanoparticles was one of the approaches ( H ä ger 1980 ;Cooper et al 1997 ;Cui and Walcheski 2000 ;Lebow et al 2003 ;Mourant et al 2009 ;Salma et al 2010 ;Sun et al 2010 ;Treu et al 2011 ;Pankras et al 2012 ). Thicker coatings and paints were also applied for this purpose (Stilwell 1998 ;Lebow et al 2004 ).…”