Superhydrophobic wood grafted by poly(2-(perfluorooctyl)ethyl methacrylate) via ATRP with self-cleaning, abrasion resistance and anti-mold properties

Abstract Wood is a natural, abundant, renewable resource, which is easily processed, has beautiful texture and good mechanical strength, and is widely used for furniture, flooring, decor and building construction. However, wood is vulnerable to moisture and microorganisms, resulting in deformation, cracks, mold and degradation, which causes aesthetic problems and/or shortens the service life of wood products. In this paper, superhydrophobic wood (wood-F) was fabricated by grafting poly(2-(perfluorooctyl)ethyl methacrylate) (PFOEMA) onto wood by atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) with an energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) showed that PFOEMA was successfully grafted onto wood. The resultant wood-F exhibited excellent water resistance with a contact angle (CA) of 156° and hysteresis of 4°. The modified wood also showed abrasion resistance, self-cleaning ability and anti-mold properties, all of which are desirable for various wood products.