화학공학소재연구정보센터
Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research, Vol.53, No.23, 9721-9727, 2014
In Situ Polymerization of Phenolic Methylolurea in Cell Wall and Induction of Pulse-Pressure Impregnation on Green Wood
Impregnation of the cell wall with various chemicals continues to attract interest. For most studies, the method of impregnation is the vacuum-pressure process which is limited by the specimens' size in thickness and the requirement for low moisture content. In the present study, we impregnated fast-growing poplar (Populus euramericana) green wood by pulse-pressure at 0.7-0.8 MPa for 50 min with phenolic methylolurea, and then the modifier in situ polymerized within the wood cell wall by kiln drying. The microscopy analysis showed that the pulse pressure impregnation method could be feasible because of the presence of a wide-bore capillary column system in the poplar xylem. As a result, the chemical treatment reduced the hygroscopicity and increased the dimensional stability of wood. Reactions mainly happened within the interfibrillar amorphous region of the cell wall. Among the reactions were etherification and esterification since the covalent bonds formed between modifier methylol groups, wood hydroxyl, and acetic acid derived from hemicelluloses.