Comparative Study on the Properties of Inorganic Silicate and Organic Phenolic Prepolymer Modified Poplar Wood by Vacuum Cycle Pressurization

To enhance mechanical properties and improve flame retardancy and smoke suppression of fast-growing poplar wood in wood applications,the wood was impregnated and modified.An organic phenolic prepolymer and inorganic sodium silicate was used as contrasting impregnation modifiers and wood samples were impregnated by a bionic“respiration”method with alternating positive and negative pressure.The weight percentage gain,density increase ratio,mechanical properties(bending and compressive strength and hardness),and water absorption rate of inorganic and organic-impregnated modified poplar wood(IIMPW and OIMPW,respectively)were compared and these properties in IIMPW were found to be higher than those of OIMPW with the exception of the water absorption rate which was lower than the OIMPW.This was attributed to the superior absorption of sodium silicate that also improved the impregnation,reinforcement,and dimensional stability in the IIMPW.The chemical structure,crystalline structure,internal morphology,flame retardancy,smoke suppression,and thermal stability of IIMPW and OIMPW were characterized by FT-IR,XRD,SEM,CONE,and TGA.FT-IR and XRD results showed that,although IIMPW cellulose crystallinity reduced the most,more chemical bonds were come into being in IIMPW,which explained the better physical and mechanical properties of IIMPW.Compared with OIMPW,IIMPW had better flame retardant and smoke suppression performance.

Preparation and Characterization of Phenolic Prepolymer Impregnated Chinese Fir by Cyclic Increasing-Pressure Method with Green and Efficient

The Chinese fir wood was impregnated using a cyclic increasingpressure method(CIPM)with phenolic prepolymers as the impregnating modifier.Unmodified Chinese fir and progressive increasing-pressure method(PIPM)impregnated Chinese fir were used as reference samples and were compared and analyzed.The product’s chemical structure,internal morphology,crystal structure,and heat resistance were characterized.The transversal and longitudinal sections showed better filling effects,so that it bore greater external loading and reduced the water storage space.CIPM infused more phenolic prepolymer into the Chinese fir.Not only producing more physical filling but also forming more hydrogen bond associations and chemical bond combinations.Compared with PIPM and unmodi-fied Chinese fir,the CIPM impregnated Chinese fir had better mechanical strength and water resistance.The cellulose chains in CIPM impregnated Chinese fir were more closely linked and their crystallinity were clearly improved.Changes in internal morphology and crystal structure explained the reason why the mechanical properties and water resistance of CIPM impregnated Chinese fir were improved significantly.This Chinese fir had lower thermal decomposition rates,higher decomposition residual rates,and smaller combustion flames,which confirmed that it possessed improved heat and fire resistance.

Li-ion charge storage performance of wood-derived carbon fibers@MnO as a battery anode

Wood-derived carbons have been demonstrated to have large specific capacities as the anode materials of lithium-ion batteries(LIBs). However, these carbons generally show low tap density and minor volumetric capacity because of high specific surface area and pore volume. Combination with metal oxide is one of the expected methods to alleviate the obstacles of wood-derived carbons. In this work, the composites of Mn O loaded wood-derived carbon fibers(CF@Mn O) were prepared via a simple and environmentally friendly method, showing decreased specific surface area due to the generation of Mn O nanoparticles on carbon fibers. Furthermore, the CF@Mn O compostites exhibit superior electrochemical performance as anode materials of LIBs, which show high reversible capacity in the range of 529-734 m Ah/g at a current density of 100 m A/g. The optimal CF@Mn O product(Mn O:carbon = 1:2) delivers reversible capacity of 734 and 265.3 m Ah/g at current density of 100 and 2000 m A/g, respectively. Besides, the material presents outstanding stability with coulombic efficiency around 100% after 200 cycles at a high current density of 400 m A/g, revealing a potential as promising anode materials for high-performance LIBs.