Preparation of highly hydrophobic and anti-fouling wood using poly(methylhydrogen)siloxane

In this work, anti-fouling wood with enhanced dimensional and thermal stability was produced by modification of the wood surface with poly(methylhydrogen)siloxane. The modification was accomplished simply by immerging wood into the modifier solution for < 1 min. The microstructure and chemical composition of the original and modified wood were characterized using scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectrometry, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. As a result, the water contact angles of the treated wood surface for the radial and cross sections were 139° and 150°, respectively, which provided the resultant wood with an excellent anti-fouling property. The anti-swelling efficiency values of the modified woods were over 60%. The water absorption of the treated wood decreased from 74.82 to 30.72%, compared to that of the untreated wood. In addition, the resulting wood possessed enhanced mechanical stability, thermal stability, and UV resistance, which enabled it to sustain a series of mechanical damages including those from finger wiping, falling sand test, and tape peeling.