Wettability of Wood Pressure-treated with TiO2 Gel under Hydrothermal Conditions

Abstract

TiO 2-treated acacia hybrid (Acacia mangium x auriculiformis) wood was fabricated by combined pressure-impregnation and hydrothermal post-treatment. The wettability and microstructure morphology, as well as the crystalline structure of the titanium dioxide (TiO 2) gels of the TiO 2-treated wood, were studied. Contact angle measurements of the blank wood and the TiO 2-treated wood indicated a significant increase in hydrophobicity, with contact angles of above 150° in treated samples. Furthermore, the water-resistant property of the treated wood was quite stable, even after immersion in boiling water. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) results showed that the microstructure morphology and the size of TiO 2 gels on the wood surface were dependent on the pH of the post-treatment solutions. Additionally, the presence of amorphous TiO 2 gels was indicated by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis. The results of this study indicate that combined pressure-impregnation and hydrothermal post-treatment can create a hydrophobic wood-TiO 2 composite.