Integrated approach to creating durable clear finishes for wood

长期以来，木材用户一直希望能保持木材的视觉吸引力并保护木材不受环境退化影响的透明涂层。根据定义，透明表面会透光，而涂层下木材的光降解会导致木材和涂层之间的界面粘附性丧失。这会导致木材在户外暴露2-3年后无法进行透明的表面处理。在透明涂层中添加紫外线吸收剂和光稳定剂可以提高其耐用性，但此类系统的性能仍远远达不到消费者的要求。似乎越来越有可能，只有通过优化涂层系统并对木材基材进行根本性改变以降低其对光降解的敏感性，才能实现消费者的期望。这种整体方法或许能够将透明涂层系统的耐久性提高到所需的水平，而很难看到涂料配方或木材处理的传统方法如何能够产生必要的改进。拟议的研究将采用这一整体方法，通过开发新型木材光稳定系统和合成金属氧化物添加剂来显著提高木材上丙烯酸水分散体的耐久性。将最有前景的光防护处理和透明涂层相结合，应该会为木材创造出一种持久的透明整理系统，能够满足消费者的高期望。解决木材耐候性差的问题和开发高耐久的木材天然饰面可能会对加拿大木材的需求产生重大影响，并为耐用透明涂料和防光底漆和处理提供明显的商业机会。

There is long-standing desire amongst users of timber for clear coatings that will maintain wood's visual appeal and protect the wood from environmental degradation. Clear finishes transmit light by definition, and photodegradation of wood beneath the coating results in a loss of interfacial adhesion between the wood and coating. This leads to failure of clear finishes on wood after 2-3 years outdoor exposure. The addition of UV absorbers and light stabilizers to clear coatings can increase their durability, but the performance of such systems still falls far short of what consumers want. It seems increasingly likely that consumer expectations will only be achieved by optimizing the coating system and also making radical changes to the wood substrate to reduce its susceptibility to photodegradation. Such a holistic approach may be able to increase the durability of clear coating systems to the desired level whereas it is difficult to see how conventional approaches to either coatings formulation or wood treatment could produce the necessary improvements. The proposed research will adopt this holistic approach by developing novel photostabilizing systems for wood and synthesizing meta oxide additives to significantly improve the durability of aqueous acrylic dispersions on wood. Integration of the most promising photoprotective treatment and clear coat should create a durable clear finishing system for wood that can match the high expectations of consumers. A solution to the problem of the poor resistance of wood to the weather and the development of highly durable natural finishes for wood could have a dramatic impact on the demand for Canadian timber as well as providing obvious commercial opportunities for durable clear coatings and photoprotective primers and treatments.