Us Scientists at Georgia Tech are working on a
new type of timber that gives wood a shot of
metal oxide.
The eco-friendly alternative means that a treated
piece of wood resists absorbing water and mould.
The Georgia Tech team uses a technique known as
atomic layer deposition that is typically used in the
manufacturing of electronics.
An ultra-thin protective coating of metal oxide
throughout the entire cellular structure of pieces of
lumber. The process involves placing the wood in
a low-pressure airtight chamber, then introducing
a metal oxide gas. The gas molecules proceed to
permeate the wood – they travel throughout it, using
its interconnected pores as an internal pathway. As
those molecules do so, they react with the wood,
forming a metal oxide coating on its inner structure.
Although that coating is only a few atoms
thick, it's highly effective at keeping the timber
from absorbing water, even when the wood is
submerged. As a result, and possibly also due to
other effects of the treatment, the lumber is much
more resistant to mould growth over time. And as
an added bonus, the treated wood is also less
thermally-conductive than regular lumber, allowing it
to better insulate buildings against heat loss.