Performance study of a superhydrophobic nanocellulose membrane on the surface of a wood-based panel prepared via the sol-gel method

The scarcity of wood resources in China has led to the development of wood-based panels. However, wood-based panels often exhibit hydrophilicity and require veneering. This paper presents a solution to this problem in which a composite membrane is prepared using nanocellulose (CNF) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) through the hot pressing method. The surface of the composite membrane is then coated with silica nanoparticles using the sol-gel method to achieve a superhydrophobic effect. The coating has a surface hardness of 5H, adhesion of 0, gloss of 20% Gu, colour difference of 3.11, and impact resistance of 19 kg.cm. The resulting modified wood-based panel has a contact angle of 166.8° and a sliding angle of 5.3°, indicating excellent self-cleaning properties and chemical stability. This innovation promotes the use of wood-based panels in high-humidity environments and offers new research avenues for the high-value utilization of nanocellulose.