Highly Hydrophobic and Self-Cleaning Heat-Treated Larix spp. Prepared by TiO2 and ZnO Particles onto Wood Surface

Abstract

The deposition of TiO2/ZnO on heat-treated wood was prepared by a hydrothermal reaction and sol-gel method. Highly hydrophobic wood was successfully prepared with low surface free energy. The surface-modified wood samples were characterized by 3D-laser shape measurement microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy for the microstructure and chemical composition investigation. The deposited TiO2 or ZnO markedly made the wood surface brighter, which was demonstrated by visual observation and spectrophotometer. The TiO2/ZnO particles were successfully loaded onto the surface of the wood, proven by SEM-EDS and FTIR analyses. The contact angle of TiO2 and ZnO-modified wood reached 123.9° and 134.1° respectively, which is obviously higher than that of the control at 88.9°. The hydrophobic properties of the TiO2/ZnO modified wood samples were directly related to the shapes of clusters and spheres of particles, which increased the roughness of the wood surface. This study shows the hydrophobic properties of the TiO2/ZnO-modified wood and provides the color and roughness changes for the painting process of heat-treated wood.

Fabrication of porous and visible light active ZnO nanorods and ZnO@TiO2core–shell photocatalysts for self-cleaning applications

“…They achieved better transmittance than Wang et al However, the application of a polycarbonate substrate is still limited to a specific industry. Several methods such as electrospinning coupled with pulse deposition, 28 spray pyrolysis, 29 sol–gel processing 30 and chemical vapour deposition 31 have been used to fabricate TiO 2 -coupled ZnO NRs. Most techniques rely on high temperatures and sophisticated and expensive equipment usage.…”

Improving mechanical performance and functionality of birch veneer with mechano-enzymatic microfibrillated cellulose coating

“…The effects and mechanism of the photocatalytic (PC) reaction of TiO 2 have been widely studied since the seminal Nature publication in 1972 (Fujishima and Honda 1972). The research on wood surface-treatment with TiO 2 has attracted considerable critical attention in recent years, aiming to improve ultraviolet (UV) protection (Pánek et al 2020;Pori et al 2016), hydrophobicity and selfcleaning (Pandit et al 2020;Rao et al 2016;Xing et al 2020), and VOC removal (Zhu et al 2016) and anti-fungal capabilities (Chen et al 2009).…”

Efficient Wood Hydrophobization Exploiting Natural Roughness Using Minimum Amounts of Surfactant-Free Plant Oil Emulsions

“… 19 Moreover, a decrease in the esthetic properties is an often-encountered side effect when increasing the surface roughness, leading to loss of transparency and whitening of the surface due to scattering effects. 8 , 20 − 22 This trade-off between wettability and transparency is a well-known challenge in materials science. 23 Because wood is especially valued for its esthetic appeal, changes to its appearance are undesired.…”

“…Unfortunately, many techniques providing rough water-repellent surfaces involve the deposition of nanoparticles, which may pose risks to human beings and the environment due to unresolved toxicological questions . Moreover, a decrease in the esthetic properties is an often-encountered side effect when increasing the surface roughness, leading to loss of transparency and whitening of the surface due to scattering effects. ,− This trade-off between wettability and transparency is a well-known challenge in materials science . Because wood is especially valued for its esthetic appeal, changes to its appearance are undesired.…”