Silylation of wood for potential protection against biodegradation. An ATR-FTIR, ESCA and contact angle study

Surfaces of three European (English oak, ash and Scots pine) and three tropical (teak, cloves and neem) wood species were silylated with chlorotrimethylsilane, oetadecyltrichlorosilane, trimethylsilyl N,N-dimethylcarbamate and an alkoxysilane-terminated surfactant introducing diethoxy-silyl groups onto the surface structure. For the study of surface composition, ATR-FTIR and ESCA measurements were performed. The hydrophobicity of the surfaces was studied by contact angle determinations. Copyright (C) 2003 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.