Cell wall diffusion in phenol urea formaldehyde resin modified wood studied on different levels of scale

Wood modification using low molecular weight thermosetting resins improves the biological durability and dimensional stability of wood while avoiding increasingly regulated biocides. During the modification process, resin monomers diffuse from the cell lumen to the cell wall, occupying micropore spaces before in situ curing at 150 °C. This study investigated the mechanism of cell wall diffusion at multiple scales, comparing two test groups where diffusion was either facilitated or restricted. Antiswelling efficiency tests demonstrated improved dimensional stability when diffusion was facilitated. Differential scanning calorimetry showed that bound water was excluded more effectively from the cell wall if cell wall diffusion was enabled. Solid-state NMR spectroscopy (1H MAS and 13C MAS) with relaxation time analysis indicated that resin migrated to distinct locations within the cell wall, influenced by diffusion and drying conditions. These findings highlight how optimizing cell wall diffusion can significantly improve the performance of wood modification processes using thermosetting resins.