Reactive UV-absorber and epoxy functionalized soybean oil for enhanced UV-protection of clear coated wood

The present work investigates the photostabilising effect of a pretreatment consisting of 2-hydroxy-4(2,3-epoxypropoxy)-benzophenone (HEPBP) and epoxy functionalized soybean oil (ESBO), reacted on to Scots pine veneers coated with two different acrylic top coats. Two different pretreatment procedures were used, varying in reaction time and temperature. Results from FTIR and SEC analysis indicate that a large amount of reactant was present on the veneers after treatment with either of the two reaction procedures. Furthermore, coating of the pretreated surfaces was possible and the pretreatment does not seem to affect the adhesion between the coating and the wood substrate. Both accelerated ageing and natural exposure was used to study the resistance to photodegradation, and the results were analysed using colour measurements, FTIR and SEM. These analyses all show that 1400 h of accelerated ageing degrades neither the wood nor the coating to any larger extent. However, after 4000 h of UV exposure some signs of degradation are visible but to a lesser extent for pretreated samples. For the samples exposed to natural weathering during 14 months the performance was good in terms of photostabilisation, however all samples suffer from mould to different extents. Pretreated samples show smaller and more evenly distributed areas of mould compared to the references, which show slightly more mould. The combined coating/pretreatment system is thus assumed to have an effect in terms of photostabilization of the coated wood.