Effect of UV Radiation on Optical Properties and Hardness of Transparent Wood

Autor: Tomáš Štefko, Jozef Martinka, Alica Pastierová, Peter Rantuch, Igor Wachter
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: Polymers, Vol 13, Iss 2067, p 2067 (2021)
Polymers
Volume 13
Issue 13
ISSN: 2073-4360
DOI: 10.3390/polym13132067
Popis: Optically transparent wood is a type of composite material, combining wood as a renewable resource with the optical and mechanical properties of synthetic polymers. During this study, the effect of monochromatic UV-C (λ—250 nm) radiation on transparent wood was evaluated. Samples of basswood were treated using a lignin modification method, to preserve most of the lignin, and subsequently impregnated with refractive-index-matched types of acrylic polymers (methyl methacrylate, 2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate). Optical (transmittance, colour) and mechanical (shore D hardness) properties were measured to describe the degradation process over 35 days. The transmittance of the samples was significantly decreased during the first seven days (12% EMA, 15% MMA). The average lightness of both materials decreased by 10% (EMA) and 17% (MMA), and the colour shifted towards a red and yellow area of CIE L*a*b* space coordinates. The influence of UV-C radiation on the hardness of the samples was statistically insignificant (W+MMA 84.98 ± 2.05
W+EMA 84.89 ± 2.46), therefore the hardness mainly depends on the hardness of used acrylic polymer. The obtained results can be used to assess the effect of disinfection of transparent wood surfaces with UV-C radiation (e.g., due to inactivation of SARS-CoV-2 virus) on the change of its aesthetic and mechanical properties.
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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