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Dimensional stability of wood–polymer composites
Author(s) -
Zhang Yaolin,
Zhang S. Y.,
Yang Dian Qing,
Wan Hui
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
journal of applied polymer science
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.575
H-Index - 166
eISSN - 1097-4628
pISSN - 0021-8995
DOI - 10.1002/app.23581
Subject(s) - materials science , composite material , ethylene glycol dimethacrylate , polymer , methacrylate , mold , methyl methacrylate , adsorption , monomer , moisture , swelling , water content , polymerization , polymer chemistry , chemical engineering , chemistry , organic chemistry , methacrylic acid , geotechnical engineering , engineering
Abstract Wood–polymer composites (WPC) were prepared by impregnation of polymeric monomers in wood and in situ polymerization. Three polymeric chemicals were chosen for this study: methyl methacrylate (MMA), hydroxyethylene methacrylate (HEMA), and ethylene glycol dimethacrylate (EGDMA). The effects of polymeric monomers and their combinations on moisture adsorption ( M ), anti–moisture adsorption efficiency (AME), liquid water uptake ( D ), water repellency efficiency (WRE), longitudinal, radial, tangential, and volumetric swelling properties ( S ) after soaking, and antiswelling efficiency (ASE) were investigated. It was found that M was different for different methacrylate combinations and depended not only on the composition of the impregnants, but also on wood properties. Liquid water uptake was similar regardless of the formulation of the WPC. Wood–polymer composites with high MMA content displayed enhanced dimensional stabilities, but WPCs with high HEMA content did not. Tangential and volumetric ASEs were strongly dependent on the type of treatment. Mold growth tests showed that wood treated with HEMA alone had no surface mold growth, and wood treated with MMA alone also showed less mold growth than did the control samples. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl PolymSci 102: 5085–5094, 2006