Wood as a natural and renewable biomass material possesses special porous structure and unique chemical components, which impart it high strength-to-weight ratio, popular texture and smart environmental benign nature capable of absorbing and releasing moisture response to environment. Consequently, wood has been desirable as an essential material for human survival since the primitive state. However, the shortcomings of wood including vulnerability to degradation when exposed to fire and microorganisms, and susceptibility to change in dimension under humidities, often result in it to be a less effective material for long-term utilization. Under such background and inspired from the characteristics of wood, wood-organic-inorganic hybrid composite (WOIC) was created by in-situ formation of organic-inorganic hybrid polymer (OIP) within wood porous structure via a sol-gel process. Glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) was first copolymerized with a vinyl-containing trialkoxysilane outside wood and then undergone a hydrolysis-condensation process (sol-gel process) with tetraethyl orthosilicate (TEOS) in wood cellular structure. Under the employed conditions, a transparent OIP was synthesized, and AFM proved that the OIP has controlled morphology with nanometer phase separation. And the resulted OIP filled up the porous structure of wood which was confirmed by SEM-EDX. FTIR further proved that OIP seems bonding to wood substance. Such formed OIP can theoretically reinforce wood as filler, which may impart good mechanical properties and durability to wood capable of being used in a broad variety.

Preparation and structure characterization of wood-organic-inorganic hybrid nanocomposite

245th National Meeting (2013)

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.