Preparation and stability of microcapsule wood preservative from neem extract

Abstract

Neem (Melia azedarach) extract has good antibacterial properties, but its bioactivities are easily decomposed. In order to protect the bioactivities of neem extract, melamine urea formaldehyde (MUF) was used as wall material to prepare a wood microcapsule preservative. The size and distribution of microcapsules after treatments at different temperatures were determined by microscopy. These observations showed that increases in temperature caused the microcapsule particles to become smaller and more evenly distributed. The stability of this preservative was studied by use of an environmental factors experiment (ultraviolet light, condensation, and water spray) and a decay test. The results indicated that the microcapsule preservative from neem extract was more stable than the neem extract preservative. The results indicated that the microcapsule preservative from neem extract showed acceptable environmental stability. The water spray resistance of microcapsule preservative from neem extract was the best.