Aging effects on the physicochemical properties of the wood polymer-based composites

This chapter considers the effect of aging on the physicochemical properties of wood polymer-based composites. The degradation of wood polymer-based composites in the course of weathering has great effects on their physicochemical properties. Detailed information was obtained from a literature review of previous work done within this field of study. It was found that, in the course of aging, many physicochemical and mechanical properties of wood polymer-based composites are affected, such as surface discoloration, change in luster, molecular chain division, large-scale surface splitting, reduction in tensile strength, micro-hardness, and flexural strength, and decrease in melting temperature of the polymeric material.