UV Curable Acrylate Nanocomposites: Properties and Applications

Nanotechnology in wood science: Innovations and applications

Application of nanomaterials is gaining tremendous interest in the field of wood science and technology for value addition and enhancing performance of wood and wood-based composites. This review focuses on the use of nanomaterials in improving the properties of wood and wood-based materials and protecting them from weathering, biodegradation, and other deteriorating agents. UV-resistant, self-cleaning (superhydrophobic) surfaces with anti-microbial properties have been developed using the extraordinary features of nanomaterials. Scratch-resistant nano-coatings also improve durability and aesthetic appeal of wood. Moreover, nanomaterials have been used as wood preservatives for increasing the resistance against wood deteriorating agents such as fungi, termites and borers. Wood can be made more resistant to ignition and slower to burn by introducing nano-clays or nanoparticles of metal-oxides. The use of nanocellulose and lignin nanoparticles in wood-based products has attracted huge interest in developing novel materials with improved properties. Nanocellulose and lignin nanoparticles derived/synthesized from woody biomass can enhance the mechanical properties such as strength and stiffness and impart additional functionalities to wood-based products. Cellulose nano-fibres/crystals find application in wide areas of materials science like reinforcement for composites. Incorporation of nanomaterials in resin has been used to enhance specific properties of wood-based composites. This review paper highlights some of the advancements in the use of nanotechnology in wood science, and its potential impact on the industry.

Innovative Wood Surface Treatments Based on Nanotechnology

This work reviewed innovative wood surface treatments based on nanotechnology. It is well documented in the literature that the cell walls of wood present significant porosity; this porosity is on a molecular scale. The main reason for the use of nanotechnology in wood science and technology is the unique characteristic of nano-based materials to effectively penetrate deeply into wood substrates, which, in turns, results in the alteration of their surface chemistry. This subsequently causes an improvement in wood properties. Any potential change in the wood properties due to treatment with nanomaterials is based on the higher interfacial area which is developed due to the treatment. This occurs because the number of particles is significantly reduced to the nanoscale. The nanomaterials improve the properties of wood as a raw material and alter its original features to a limited extent. However, their potential impact on both health and the environment should be addressed by applying tools such as life-cycle assessments. This will avoid mistakes being made in which new technologies are released on the market prior to an impact assessment having been carried out.

Nanomaterials and Chemical Modifications for Enhanced Key Wood Properties: A Review

This work briefly reviews the research milestones in the area of wood chemical modification, focusing on acetylated and furfurylated wood which have been scaled up, and exploits the solutions that nanotechnology can offer to wood protection as an alternative green innovative approach in improving key wood properties, namely the dimensional stability when subjected to a fluctuating moisture content and a susceptibility to biodegradability by microorganisms. Recently, nanomaterials were found to be able applicable in wood science. The target is to improve some special physicochemical characteristics of wood in order to resist extreme conditions (climate, bacteria, etc.), giving an enhanced potentiality. It is well-established that the wood cell wall shows a porosity of molecular scale dimensions; this is caused by the partial filling of spaces between the microfibrils of the cellulose mainly by polyoses and lignin. The small-sized nanoparticles can deeply and effectively penetrate into the wood, altering its surface chemistry, improving its properties, and therefore, resulting in a hyper-performance product.

Tung Oil Wood Finishes with Improved Weathering, Durability, and Scratch Performance by Addition of Cellulose Nanocrystals

The main aim of this study is to verify whether cellulose nanocrystal (CNCs)-reinforced tung oil (TO) composites are effective for wood finishes and offer enhanced mechanical and weathering performance owing to the high strength, stiffness, and barrier properties of CNCs. To achieve even dispersion of CNC particles in a polymeric coating film, surface hydrophobization of the CNCs was carried out by grafting poly(lactic acid) oligomers and oleic acid. These new TO coating formulations contain 0 (controlled sample) to 10 wt % of hydrophobized cellulose nanocrystals (hCNCs). The coating performance (degree of wrinkle, leveling, and instantaneous filling) of the hCNC-TO finishes as well as their coating properties (topography, optical properties, mechanical properties, and gas permeability) were investigated in this study. The influence of the hCNC content in the tung oil composite coatings was examined using scratch/impact resistance tests and oxygen transmission rate (OTR) measurements. An increase in the hCNC content led to an increase in scratch/impact resistance as well as a slight decrease in the color-b change, gloss, surface roughness, and OTR value of their film coatings. The hCNC-TO composites for wood coatings presented here showed enhanced performance for utilization in wood-working processes in terms of desired mechanical properties (scratch and impact resistance), weathering performance (color stability), and easy production without any deterioration in surface gloss and roughness after the addition of hCNC to a TO matrix. The hCNC enhanced coating system is a promising candidate for substantial protection of wood surfaces in demanding settings.

Multi-functional hybrid coatings containing silica nanoparticles and anti-corrosive acrylate monomer for scratch and corrosion resistance

Multi-functional hybrid coatings having both anti-corrosion and scratch resistance were prepared from modified silica nanoparticles and functional acrylates. To improve the dispersion properties of silica nanoparticles in the organic/inorganic hybrid coatings, the surface of the nanoparticles was modified with γ-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane. The coating solution could be prepared by mixing modified silica nanoparticles, tetrasiloxane acrylate, di-acrylate monomer containing an anti-corrosion functional group, acrylic acid, and an initiator in a solvent. The mixture was then dip-coated on iron substrates and finally polymerized by ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. Corrosion and scratch resistance of the coated iron was evaluated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and a pencil hardness test, respectively. From the EIS results, the coatings with tetrasiloxane acrylate and di-acrylate did not show any decrease in impedance or phase angle, even after 50 days' exposure to 0.1 M NaCl electrolyte, whereas the conventional acrylate coatings started to fail after only 24 h. A hybrid coating containing the amine-quinone functional group exhibited excellent corrosion protection properties with 4-5H pencil hardness.

Polymer-Nanoparticle Composites: From Synthesis to Modern Applications

The addition of inorganic spherical nanoparticles to polymers allows the modification of the polymers physical properties as well as the implementation of new features in the polymer matrix. This review article covers considerations on special features of inorganic nanoparticles, the most important synthesis methods for ceramic nanoparticles and nanocomposites, nanoparticle surface modification, and composite formation, including drawbacks. Classical nanocomposite properties, as thermomechanical, dielectric, conductive, magnetic, as well as optical properties, will be summarized. Finally, typical existing and potential applications will be shown with the focus on new and innovative applications, like in energy storage systems.

A multinuclear solid-state magnetic resonance study of the interactions between the inorganic and organic coatings of BaSO4 submicronic particles

Silica-coated BaSO4 submicronic particles, modified on the surface by treatment with stearic acid, have been characterized by means of 29Si, 13C, and 1H magic-angle-spinning (MAS) high-resolution techniques, and low-resolution 1H-FID analysis. Two types of adsorbed water were identified; adsorbed either inside or on the surface of BaSO4, most of the latter being removed by the silica coating. Evidences of silica-stearic acid interactions were found involving either carboxylic acid or carboxylate functional groups, and occurring by means of hydrogen and/or covalent bonds. Stearic acid was present as monolayer only, its chain being mostly rigid, even though a small fraction was subjected to fast inter-conformational motions.