Wood-Polymer Composite Fabricated by Polymerization of Monomers within Wood Porous Structure

Abstract

A novel composite, wood-polymer composite, was fabricated by polymerization of functional monomers within wood porous structure. The wood was a fast-growing plant wood, Micheliamacclurel wood, which was rarely reported in previous studies, and two functional monomers, glycidyl methacrylate and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate, were novelly employed. The monomers, added with a few Azo-bis-isobutryonitrile as initiator, and maleic anhydride as catalyst, were first impregnated into wood pores under vacuum/pressure conditions, and then in-situ polymerized into polymers through a catalyst-thermal treatment. After the processes, wood-polymer composite was resulted. SEM and FTIR analysis for the composite indicated that the monomers polymerized into solid polymer, which fully filled up wood pores, and the resulted polymer grafted onto wood matrix, resulting in good interface combination between polymer and wood matrix. Such composite with satisfactory interface can be potentially applied as structural material in construction field.