Study of Interactions between Titanium Dioxide Coating and Wood Cell Wall Ultrastructure.

Titanium dioxide (TiO 2 ) is used as a UV light absorber to protect wood matter from photodegradation. In this paper, interactions between wood and TiO 2 coating are studied, and the efficiency of the coating is evaluated. For the experiments, two wood species were chosen: beech ( Fagus sylvatica ) and pine ( Pinus sylvestris ). Molecular and physical modifications in coated and uncoated wood exposed to UV radiation were investigated with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy with attenuated total reflectance (FTIR-ATR) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). UV-VIS spectroscopy was used to describe the absorption of UV light by the TiO 2 planar particles chosen for the experiment. It was demonstrated that TiO 2 coating protects wood against photodegradation to a limited extent. TEM micrographs showed fissures in the wood matter around clusters of TiO 2 particles in beech wood.