Study of Interactions between Titanium Dioxide Coating and Wood Cell Wall Ultrastructure

Titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) is used as a UV light absorber to protect wood matter from photodegradation. In this paper, interactions between wood and TiO(2) coating are studied, and the efficiency of the coating is evaluated. For the experiments, two wood species were chosen: beech (Fagus sylvatica) and pine (Pinus sylvestris). Molecular and physical modifications in coated and uncoated wood exposed to UV radiation were investigated with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy with attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). UV-VIS spectroscopy was used to describe the absorption of UV light by the TiO(2) planar particles chosen for the experiment. It was demonstrated that TiO(2) coating protects wood against photodegradation to a limited extent. TEM micrographs showed fissures in the wood matter around clusters of TiO(2) particles in beech wood.