@article{Zanatta_Luiz Missio_Lazarotto_da Silva Cava_Lovato Gomes Jardim_Alberto Gatto_Lúcio Moreira_2018, title={Microwave-assisted solvothermal: An efficient and new method to obtain hydrophobic wood surfaces}, volume={20}, url={https://revistas.ubiobio.cl/index.php/MCT/article/view/3225}, abstractNote={<p>The objective of this work was to form a hydrophobic surface in a highly porous wood by coating and incorporating TiO<sub>2</sub> micro/nano structures through the microwave-assisted solvotermal method, without need any pre- or post-modification of the wood substrate, using low temperatures and short times. The behavior and morphology of the TiO<sub>2</sub>-treated surfaces was characterized using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), while the elemental composition was determined via energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy  and X-ray diffraction analysis. The results indicated that the crystallization of the TiO<sub>2 </sub>anatase phase was efficient and fully coated the wood surface during the solvothermal process. The treated wood contained TiO<sub>2</sub> particles with an average diameter of 200 nm that also allowed to coat an abundant fraction of tracheids cell walls. When investigated through X-ray spectroscopy-mapping, the element titanium  appeared abundantly throughout the wood. After TiO<sub>2</sub> growth in wood through the microwave-assisted solvotermal method, a roughness at the micro/nano scales structures was created on the wood surface, originating an increase in the contact angle up to 137°, which characterizes the appearance of a hydrophobic surface.  The TiO<sub>2</sub>-treated wood demonstrated 85% of water absorption after 400 hours of immersion, while untreated wood reached 160%, suggesting that the microwave-assisted solvotermal process promotes a delay in the progression of water absorption. This feature can improve the dimensional stability of wood, contributing to the increase of its durability and applications.</p>}, number={4}, journal={Maderas-Cienc Tecnol}, author={Zanatta, Paula and Luiz Missio, André and Lazarotto, Marília and da Silva Cava, Sérgio and Lovato Gomes Jardim, Pedro and Alberto Gatto, Darci and Lúcio Moreira, Mário}, year={2018}, month={Oct.}, pages={611–620} }