Can Plasma Surface Treatment Replace Traditional Wood Modification Methods?

Abstract

Wood modification is an excellent and increasingly used method to expand the application of woody materials. Traditional methods, such as chemical or thermal, have been developed for the targeted improvement of some selected properties, unfortunately typically at the expense of others. These methods generally alter the composition of wood, and thus its mechanical properties, and enhance dimensional stability, water resistance, or decrease its susceptibility to microorganisms. Although conventional methods achieve the desired properties, they require a lot of energy and chemicals, therefore research is increasingly moving towards more environmentally friendly processes. The advantage of modern methods is that in most cases, they only modify the surface and do not affect the structure and mechanical properties of the wood, while reducing the amount of chemicals used. Cold plasma surface treatment is one of the cheapest and easiest technologies with a limited burden on the environment. In this review, we focus on cold plasma treatment, the interaction between plasma and wood compounds, the advantages of plasma treatment compared to traditional methods, and perspectives.

Mobile technology of thermal modification of wood

“…An ancient practice (charring) has been rediscovered, certain types of polymerization modifications have now reached pilot scale, and samples of new functional wood-based materials are being explored at laboratory scale. And in paper [2] it is stated that wood modification is an excellent and increasingly popular method of expanding the use of wood materials. Conventional methods, such as chemical or thermal, have been developed to purposefully improve some selected wood properties, unfortunately usually at the expense of other parameters.…”

Surface Wettability and Coating Performance of Plasma-Treated Wood-Based Composite Panels

“…The decreases in contact angle values after plasma treatment indicate the increase of surface wettability in the PB and MDF samples. This might be due to the creation of more polar groups [12,25] as indicated by the FTIR spectroscopy and XPS results. Plasma treatment creates oxygen groups on the surface and the higher the concentration of oxygen, the higher the surface reactivity [26].…”

“…The latter property can be altered by surface pre-treatment, such as sanding and machining [11]. Plasma treatment is a commonly used method to modify the surface wettability of wood-based products and panel composites [12]. Unlike typical finishing processes that generate dust and unclean surfaces, plasma treatment is clean.…”

Influence of Plasma Treatment on Surface Characteristics of Aluminum Alloy Sheets and Bonding Performance of Glass Fiber-Reinforced Thermoplastic/Al Composites

“…Plasma surface technology has become a popular method for the surface modification of composites, metals, wood, carbon fibers, and implants owing to its superior efficiency and versatility [19][20][21][22]. The process combines plasma physics, plasma chemistry, and gas-solid interface reaction and can be completed quickly without affecting the properties of the materials.…”