The evalaution of decay resistance and dimentional stability of poplar wood treated with Styrene/Nano wellastonite

Wood polymers made of vinyl monomers (such as styrene), due to the lack of penetration into the cell walls, has a slight decay resistance and requires supportive treatment. In this study, decay resistance and dimentional stability of poplar wood (Populus deltoids) treated with styrene and nano wollastonite were investigated. The vacuum-pressure method was used to impregnate wood samples. The samples were treated with four diffrent formulations including 4% nano wollastonite, 75% styren, 4% nano wollastonite+75% styren (duble treatment), as well as mix of 4% nano wollastonite/75% styren (single treatment). The impregnation of wood with styrene monomer caused significant weight gain (more than 50%), while it was about 1% with nano-wollastonite. The volumetric swelling and the water absorption values of nano-wollastonite treated samples decresed compared to the controls. However, the maximum decrease in the volumetric swelling and the water absorption were observed with the styrenic wood polymer. The combination of nano-wellastonite with the styrene had no effect on these properties. Before leaching, the decay resistance of treated samples with nano-wollastonite and the styrene significantly increased. However, the effectiveness of treated samples with the nano-wollastonite was lost after leaching and their fungal resistance were similar to the that of the controls. The nano-wollastonite caused significant increase in the fungal resistance of styrenic wood polymers even after leaching, but the weight loss values were still significant. According to the results of this study, the use of eco-friendly products is recommended to increase the rotting resistance of styrenic wood polymers.