Effects of surface ageing on wettability, surface chemistry, and adhesion of wood

The effects of ageing on the surface chemistry, wettability and the surface free energy were determined according to the acid base theory using contact angle measurements and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy. Time is a significant variable affecting wettability and adhesion. All measured surface parameters of the wood surface were storage time dependent. It could be demonstrated that the effect of ageing on the adhesion of a coating on the wood surface depends not only on the properties of the wood surface, but also on the chemical nature of the coating. Therefore, measurements on wettability without considering the time dependence of surface energy and, above all, its components, are not sufficient to assess effects of ageing on adhesion.