Hybrid organic-inorganic materials as coatings for protecting wood

A new coating based on organic-inorganic materials was prepared using concurrent sol-gel and polymerization techniques, and applied to wood using a dip coating method. Vinyl-functionalized zirconium oxoclusters were co-polymerized with vinyltrimethoxysilane on wood. The coating process was examined, also assessing the specific weight of hybrid polymer left on the wood after one or two coating steps. The efficacy of the process in consolidating and protecting the wood was investigated using high-temperature differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM), infrared spectroscopy and solid state NMR spectroscopy. The coating did not affect the morphology and appearance of the wood. However, it did modify its behavior on exposure to fire and preliminary accelerated biological tests with the brown rot fungus Coniophora puteana showing an improved resistance to the fungal attack.