Assessment of Changes in Selected Features of Pine and Birch Wood after Impregnation with Graphene Oxide
Izabela Betlej,
Sławomir Borysiak,
Katarzyna Rybak,
Barbara Nasiłowska,
Aneta Bombalska,
Zygmunt Mierczyk,
Karolina Lipska,
Piotr Borysiuk,
Bogusław Andres,
Małgorzata Nowacka,
Piotr Boruszewski
Affiliations
Izabela Betlej
Institute of Wood Sciences and Furniture, Department of Wood Science and Wood Protection, Warsaw University of Life Sciences—SGGW, 159 Nowoursynowska St., 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Sławomir Borysiak
Institute of Chemical Technology and Engineering, Faculty of Chemical Technology, Poznan University of Technology, 4 Berdychowo St., 60-965 Poznań, Poland
Katarzyna Rybak
Department of Food Engineering and Process Management, Institute of Food Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Science—SGGW, 159 Nowoursynowska St., 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Barbara Nasiłowska
Institute of Optoelectronics, Military University of Technology, gen. S. Kaliskiego 2 St., 00-908 Warsaw, Poland
Aneta Bombalska
Institute of Optoelectronics, Military University of Technology, gen. S. Kaliskiego 2 St., 00-908 Warsaw, Poland
Zygmunt Mierczyk
Institute of Optoelectronics, Military University of Technology, gen. S. Kaliskiego 2 St., 00-908 Warsaw, Poland
Karolina Lipska
Institute of Wood Sciences and Furniture, Department of Technology and Entrepreneurship in Wood Industry, Warsaw University of Life Sciences—SGGW, 159 Nowoursynowska St., 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Piotr Borysiuk
Institute of Wood Sciences and Furniture, Department of Technology and Entrepreneurship in Wood Industry, Warsaw University of Life Sciences—SGGW, 159 Nowoursynowska St., 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Bogusław Andres
Institute of Wood Sciences and Furniture, Department of Wood Science and Wood Protection, Warsaw University of Life Sciences—SGGW, 159 Nowoursynowska St., 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Małgorzata Nowacka
Department of Food Engineering and Process Management, Institute of Food Sciences, Warsaw University of Life Science—SGGW, 159 Nowoursynowska St., 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
Piotr Boruszewski
Institute of Wood Sciences and Furniture, Department of Technology and Entrepreneurship in Wood Industry, Warsaw University of Life Sciences—SGGW, 159 Nowoursynowska St., 02-776 Warsaw, Poland
In this work, pine and birch wood were modified by graphene oxide using a single vacuum impregnation method. The research results indicate that the impregnation of wood with graphene oxide increases the crystallinity of cellulose in both pine and birch wood, and the increase in crystallinity observed in the case of birch was more significant than in the case of pine. FT-IR analyses of pine samples impregnated with graphene oxide showed changes in intensity in the absorption bands of 400–600, 700–1500 cm−1, and 3200–3500 cm−1 and a peak separation of 1102 cm−1, which may indicate new C-O-C connections. In the case of birch, only some differences were noticed related to the vibrations of the OH group. The proposed modification also affects changes in the color of the wood surface, with earlywood containing more graphene oxide than latewood. Analysis of scanning electron microscope images revealed that graphene oxide adheres flat to the cell wall. Considering the differences in the anatomical structure of both wood species, the research showed a statistically significant difference in water absorption and retention of graphene oxide in wood cells. Graphene oxide does not block the flow of water in the wood, as evidenced by the absorbability of the working liquid at the level of 580–602 kg/m3, which corresponds to the value of pure water absorption by wood in the impregnation method using a single negative pressure. In this case, higher graphene oxide retention values were obtained for pine wood.
