Polyvinyl acetate/reduced graphene oxide-poly (diallyl dimethylammonium chloride) composite coated wood surface reveals improved hydrophobicity

Wetting is a key problem in wood finishing because water causes deterioration and reduces the durability of wood. Herein, hydrophilic wood has been modified into a hydrophobic wood through simple surface coating using polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) / reduced graphene oxide (rGO)-poly (diallyl dimethylammonium chloride) (PDDA). The synthesized graphene oxide (GO) from graphene flakes is used for chemical modification with urotropin in presence of sodium borohydride. The hydrophobic property of PVAc has been increased by modified graphene oxide dispersed at the presence of PDDA in methanol. The synthesized polymer composite is used coating on the various wood surfaces (radial and cross-sectional). Synthesized materials are characterized by extensive characterization techniques. The water contact angle of wood surface coated with PVAc/rGO-PDDA shows 187.8 % better than uncoated wood and 20.7 % better than PVAc coated wood and 2.4 % better than commercial wood stain coated wood. This facile, low cost and eco-friendly approach could be used in a variety of applications.