Performance of wood impregnated with alkoxysilanes

Abstract

The wood, very heterogeneous and complex material, changes its volume by water absorption or desorption causing swelling or shrinkage and also it can be degraded both by action of microorganisms and fire; the above-mentioned is a great inconvenient for most commercial uses. Solid wood specimens of Araucaria angustifolia were impregnated with alkoxysilanes hydrolyzed and condensed “in situ” by the sol-gel process. Alkoxysilanes selected were aminopropyl methyldiethoxysilane and aminopropyl triethoxysilane; it was also used the aminopropyl methyldiethoxysilane/aminopropil triethoxysilane mixture in 50/50 w/w ratio. The pH was adjusted to alkaline value for controlling kinetic of hydrolysis and condensation reactions. Impregnation process was carried out at 45–50 oC in an autoclave, controlling the operating conditions for achieving different weight gains. Unmodified and modified wood specimens were exposed to brown rot (Polyporus meliae) and white rot (Coriolus versicolor) under laboratory conditions. The results indicate that the improved resistance to fungal exposure would be based on the wood c emical modification (t e protection of cellulose caused by steric indrance of i-O-Cellulose preventing the formation of enzyme-substrate complex). Moreover, the results also would be based on the enhanced dimensional stability of the treated wood; the quoted high dimensional stability, which limits the growth of the spores, is supported in the hydrophobicity generated by both the decreasing of the amount of polar hydroxyl groups and the partial occupation of pores with polysiloxanes. Fire laboratory tests were carried out in Two-Foot Tunnel (flame spread index, panel consumption and smoke density) and in TGA detector (mass loss). The performance can be explained according the reactivity of the alkoxides; the results indicate that as weight gain increase the performance of impregnants against fire also does.