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Chemical surface densification of hardwood through lateral monomer impregnation and in situ electron beam polymerization, Part I: density profile and surface hardness of three hardwood species

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Abstract

Filling wood cells with polymeric materials offers great opportunities to improve wood strength. Some applications, such as flooring, may require densification on one side of the material only. Yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis Britt.), sugar maple (Acer saccharum Marsh.) and red oak (Quercus rubra L.) were surface densified through lateral chemical impregnation of monomers under vacuum followed by in situ electron beam polymerization. Lateral impregnation led to low mean chemical retention of 4% for sugar maple, 11% for red oak and 12% for yellow birch. X-ray densitometry and microtomography revealed an asymmetric density profile comparable to mechanically surface densified wood due to polymer-filled vessels. Scanning electron microscopy images showed presence of polymer-filled fibers beneath the surface. Brinell hardness of all species increased significantly compared to untreated wood. Low chemical retention significantly improved hardness due to localized polymer beneath the surface. Density profile characteristics were extracted from densitometry curves and correlated to hardness. Deep monomer penetration was more favorable to hardness than high surface density peak.

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Acknowledgements

This work is part of the research program of Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Canlak Industrial Research Chair in Finishes for Interior wood products (CRIF) through programs CRD (RDCPJ 500157–16) and PCI (PCISA 514917–16). The authors are grateful to the NSERC-Canlak Industrial Research Chair in Finishes for Interior wood products (CRIF) Industrial partners for their help and support. This work was made possible through the crucial help of David Brown, Emily Craven, Matthew Trott and Shane Stutchbury from Mevex (Stittsville, Canada) with electron beam irradiation. The authors would also like to acknowledge collaborators who provided technical support: Dr Pascale Chevalier and the Research Center for Advanced Materials (CERMA—Université Laval) for SEM imaging, as well as all the technical team at the Renewable Materials Research Center (CRMR—Université Laval).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Wood and Forest Sciences Department, Faculty of Forestry, Geography, Geomatics, Université Laval, 2405 rue de la terrasse, Quebec City, G1V 0A6, Canada

    Juliette Triquet, Pierre Blanchet & Véronic Landry

  2. NSERC Canlak Industrial Research Chair in Interior Wood-Product Finishes (CRIF), Université Laval, 2425 rue de l’université, Québec City, G1V 0A6, Canada

    Juliette Triquet, Pierre Blanchet & Véronic Landry

  3. NSERC Industrial Research Chair on Ecoresponsible Wood Construction (CIRCERB), Université Laval, 2425 rue de l’université, Québec, G1V 0A6, Canada

    Pierre Blanchet & Véronic Landry

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Triquet, J., Blanchet, P. & Landry, V. Chemical surface densification of hardwood through lateral monomer impregnation and in situ electron beam polymerization, Part I: density profile and surface hardness of three hardwood species. J Mater Sci 56, 11309–11323 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-021-06009-7

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