STRUCTURALLY COLORED WOOD COMPOSITE WITH REFLECTIVE HEAT INSULATION AND HYDROPHOBICITY

Abstract

Structural colors are environmentally beneficial as they originate from the physical structure of the material, and they cannot be imitated by chemical dyes and are free from photo-bleaching. In this study, structurally colored wood was prepared by building a structurally colored film based on a wood substrate. The prepared samples were characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and Fourier transform-infrared (FT-IR). The angel-dependent optical effects were confirmed by comparing the CIE chromatic coordinates over a range of viewing angles. Through octadecyltrichlorosilane (OTS) treatment, the sample surface was made hydrophobic and had a water contact angle of 139°, which broadens the range of applications for the material. Thermal gravimetric analysis results showed that the thermal stability of the modified structurally colored wood (MCW) was much better than that of pristine wood. The reflectance spectra and the model room test results demonstrated that the MCW possesses the reflective heat insulation ability. The unique and promising properties of the MCW could potentially be applied in buildings, furniture, and for energy conservation.

Keywords:

• Structural colors
• wood composite
• energy saving
• hydrophobic performance

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

The authors declared that they have no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

The authors gratefully acknowledge the financial support from the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant 2572018AB16), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31470584), the Overseas Expertise Introduction Project for Discipline Innovation, 111Project (No. B08016), and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant 2572017AB08).