Improvement of Mechanical, Hydrophobicity and Thermal Properties of Chinese Fir Wood by Impregnation of Nano Silica Sol

Abstract

In this paper, a wood-SiO2 composite material was prepared via in-situ polymerization using vacuum/pressure impregnation technology using commercial scale nano silica sol and Chinese Fir (Cunninghamia lanceolate (Lamb.) Hook.). Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), thermogravimetric analysis (TG), and water contact angle were used to study the changes in the microstructure and physical and mechanical properties of this composite. The results showed that silica sol can penetrate and distribute into the wood cell cavities and surface of cell walls and hence combine with the substances of wood materials. FTIR results indicated that the –OH groups of wood can polycondense in-situ with silica sol to form Si–O–C covalent bonds, and amorphous SiO2 formed from Si–O–Si bonds between the –OH groups of silica sol did not change the crystalline structure of wood cell walls. This in-situ formulating composite significantly improved the compact microstructure, thermal and mechanical properties, and hydrophobicity of the composites.

Construction of a Phytic Acid–Silica System in Wood for Highly Efficient Flame Retardancy and Smoke Suppression

“…However, the intensities of the diffraction peaks of PS/Wood were lower than that of Pristine Wood. This difference may be attributed to the incorporation of silica in the wood matrix, as reported in previous studies [ 26 , 27 ]. The crystallinity of PA/Wood was quite close to that of Pristine Wood (46.41%), revealing a slight change in the crystalline zone of the wood.…”

“…It is green and environmentally friendly, and can penetrate wood scaffolds and form a stable silica network structure inside via gelation and drying [ 26 ]. Xu et al [ 27 ] prepared wood-SiO 2 composite by in situ polymerization using vacuum-pressure impregnation technology. The TG results showed that the treatment improved the thermal property of the composites.…”

Polymer Adsorbents vs. Functionalized Oxides and Carbons: Particulate Morphology and Textural and SurfaceCharacteristics

“…Therefore, additional methods, such as small-angle X-ray or neutrons scattering (SAXS, SANS) [ 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 , 58 ], X-ray diffraction (XRD) [ 59 , 60 , 61 ], high-resolution transmission (HRTEM) and scanning (SEM) electron microscopies [ 59 , 62 ], nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy with cryoporometry and relaxometry [ 15 , 63 , 64 , 65 ], differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and thermoporometry [ 66 ], infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), thermogravimetry (TG) and thermoporometry, dielectric relaxation spectroscopy (DRS), thermally stimulated depolarization current (TSDC) and relaxometry, theoretical simulations, etc. [ 67 , 68 , 69 , 70 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 , 75 , 76 , 77 , 78 , 79 , 80 , 81 , 82 , 83 , 84 , 85 , 86 ] should be used. Besides the textural characteristics, the data of these methods allow one to obtain information on the materials’ behavior under different conditions, which could model real situations related to practical applications.…”

Combination of nano-CuO/silica sol preservative with various post-treatments to improve the compressive strength, water resistance, and thermal stability of wood

“…Nair et al (2017Nair et al ( , 2018 investigated the decay resistance of ZnO and CuO nanoparticles dispersed in propylene glycol impregnated rubber wood as well as the UV stabilization of the wood by ZnO, CeO2, and TiO2. In addition, Xu et al (2020) prepared wood-silica composites via in-situ polymerization, which considerably improved the microstructure, thermal and mechanical properties, and hydrophobicity of the wood. Li et al (2021) constructed nano-ZnO-coated veneers using common structural features of wood and nano-ZnO particles.…”