Improvement of decorative texture effects, thermal stability, and mechanical properties of Pinus massoniana using a combined dyeing and superhydrophobic modification method.

To solve the problem of poor texture decorative effects and inferior functional properties of a fast-growing wood, a combined dyeing and superhydrophobic modification method was proposed and applied. The pretreated wood (P-wood) was dyed based on the permeability variation of the earlywood and latewood. After the dyeing of the wood, the variation in color between the earlywood and latewood was significantly enhanced, and the value of texture contrast of the wood increased from 19.15 to 61.43, indicating that the texture decorative effect of the wood was effectively improved. Furthermore, dyed-superhydrophobic wood (DS-wood) was fabricated by depositing a superhydrophobic coating on the surface of dyed wood (D-wood) to improve its functional properties. The contact angle (WCA) and sliding angle (SA) of the wood were 153.1° and 7°, respectively. Because of the protection of superhydrophobic coating, the wood exhibited excellent color fastness to washing and light aging. In addition, DS-wood exhibited superior thermal stability and physical–mechanical properties. Additionally, DS-wood exhibited excellent abrasion resistance and chemical stability. This modification method of functional wood is simple, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly and has great potential for architectural and furniture applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]