Growth of hydrophobic TiO₂ on wood surface using a hydrothermal method

Hydrophobic titanium dioxide (TiO₂) was successfully grown on a wood surface using a hydrothermal method. Energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS), Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and water contact angle (WCA) were employed to characterize the features of grown TiO₂ and its hydrophobicity. EDS, XRD, and FTIR proved that anatase TiO₂ chemically bonded to the wood surface through the combination of hydrogen groups during the hydrothermal process. The values of WCAs manifested that the hydrophobicity of the treated wood was mainly dependent on specific reaction conditions, especially on reaction pH value and hydrothermal temperature. The highest WCA reached 154° when the hydrothermal temperature was 130 °C. The treated wood thus possessed a superhydrophobic surface.