There is little doubt that moisture is a very important factor in relation to material durability. The need for tools to assist in the better understanding and systematic evaluation of moisture movement with the view of incorporating the results within the overall framework of the defect investigation, quality control, and long-term monitoring of moisture, have led to the development of various moisture monitoring and predicting techniques. With the purpose of helping to harmonise the interests in this field, this thesis addresses three major issues in the area of wood moisture. Various studies carried out have been shown that there are substantial discrepancies between specific timber species and published charts for equilibrium moisture content. One of the main objectives of this research was to focus on establishing the equilibrium moisture content for a range of relative humidity and temperature on an individual basis, for twenty commercially important species used in the United Kingdom. The rationale for carrying out the project, the results from the initial trial and the mainstream experiment, the hardware and methodology developed are provided. To meet the requirements of long term accurate and reliable moisture monitoring and to provide comprehensive moisture information, a new type of moisture sensor and related measurement system were developed. The methodology of system design and test procedures are described, emphasising the anti-polarisation method, noise rejection and contact resistance reduction techniques employed. Other aspects of the electrical performance of timber were also investigated. Results from a case study showed that the sensor developed can operate in the critical range of relative humidity with sensitive and accuracy. In the final part of the project, two moisture transport models were developed. Mathematical prediction models in both one dimension and three dimensions are presented for simulating the adsorption and desorption processes in wood. Comparisons are made against long-term experimental data for the one dimensional model. The finite differential method was employed to solve the mathematical expressions developed, resulting in accurate prediction of concentration-driven moisture flows. Investigations were also carried out into the moisture diffusion coefficient and moisture behaviour in the three principal wood directions by using the sensor developed which provided isothermal real-time continuous data.

Biobased materials made from renewable resources, such as wood, play an important role in the sustainable development of society. One main challenge of biobased building materials is their inherent moisture sensitivity, a major cause for fungal decay, mold growth and dimensional instability, resulting in decreased service life as well as costly maintenance. A new building material known as wood-plastic composites (WPCs) has emerged. WPCs are a combination of a thermoplastic matrix and a wood component, the former is usually recycled polyethylene or polypropylene, and the latter a wood processing residual, e.g. sawdust and wood shavings. The objective of this thesis was to gain more insight about characteristics of WPCs containing a modified wood component. The hypothesis was that a modified wood component in WPCs would increase the moisture resistance and durability in outdoor applications. The study comprises both injection molded and extruded WPC samples made with an unmodified, acetylated, thermally modified or furfurylated wood component in a polypropylene (PP), high density polyethylene (HDPE), cellulose ester (CAP, a cellulose ester containing both acetate and propionate substituents) or polylactate (PLA) matrix. The WPCs were prepared with 50-70 weight-% wood. The emphasis was on studying the moisture sorption, fungal resistance and micromorphological features of these new types of composites. Water sorption in both liquid and vapor phases was studied, and the biological performance was studied both in laboratory and in long term outdoor field tests. Micromorphological features were assessed by analyzing of the wood component prior to and after processing, and by studying the composite microstructure by means of a new sample preparation technique based on UV excimer laser ablation combined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results showed that the WPCs with a modified wood component had a distinctly lower hygroscopicity than the WPCs with unmodified wood, which resulted in less wood-plastic interfacial cracks when subjected to a moisture soaking-drying cycle. Durability assessments in field and marine tests showed that WPCs with PP or CAP as a matrix and 70 weight-% unmodified wood degraded severely within a few years, whereas the corresponding WPCs with a modified wood component were sound after 7 years in field tests and 6 years in marine tests. Accelerated durability tests of WPCs with PLA as a matrix showed only low mass losses due to decay. However, strength losses due to moisture sorption suggest that the compatibility between the PLA and the different wood components must be improved. The micromorphological studies showed that WPC processing distinctly reduces the size and changes the shape of the wood component. The change was most pronounced in the thermally modified wood component which became significantly reduced in size. The disintegration of the modified wood components during processing also creates a more homogeneous micromorphology of the WPCs, which may be beneficial from a mechanical performance perspective. Future studies are suggested to include analyses of the surface composition, the surface energy and the surface energy heterogeneity of both wood and polymer components in order to tailor new compatible wood-polymer combinations in WPCs and biocomposites. / <p>QC 20121119</p>

La ouate de cellulose utilisée pour l’isolation est fabriquée à partir de fibres de papier broyé, traitées avec des additifs minéraux agissant comme agents ignifuges et antifongiques. La conductivité thermique du matériau final est aux alentours de 0,04 W/m.K, ce qui est comparable à la laine de verre, avec l’intérêt d’être fabriqué à partir de matériaux recyclés, représentant un taux d’énergie grise beaucoup plus faible. Le mode de mise en oeuvre par voie humide de la ouate de cellulose a plusieurs avantages par rapport à la voie sèche. Le fait que les fibres de cellulose se rigidifient avec l’eau, empêche le tassement du matériau, qui peut engendrer des ponts thermiques dans l’enveloppe du bâtiment. Par contre, la durée de séchage peut être très longue et variable selon le dosage utilisé et les conditions ambiantes d’application. Ce projet de recherche vise à trouver l’additif idéal permettant d’accélérer le séchage tout en conservant une bonne cohésion du matériau et le maintien de ses propriétés isolantes. Deux types de ouate de cellulose utilisés en isolation ont été caractérisés. Ils ont montré des différences de composition chimique, granulométrie et morphologie. L’influence de leurs caractéristiques physiques telles que la rétention d’eau, les isothermes d’adsorption d’eau et les proportions d’eau libre et liée sur le séchage du matériau final a été mise en évidence. Du point de vue de la mise en oeuvre, il a été démontré que le dosage en eau avait un impact important sur les propriétés finales du matériau. La densité, la résistance en compression et la conductivité thermique augmentent avec le dosage en eau. Un minimum de 14 kPa pour le module de compression a été défini comme le seuil de résistance permettant d’éviter le tassement. Ces propriétés ont été comparées avec celles de la ouate de cellulose compactée à sec et les résultats ont montré la forte influence de la rigidification et de la fermeture des pores du matériau. Deux voies ont été envisagées pour résoudre le problème du temps de séchage : l’ajout d’additifs aux propriétés adhésives permettant de réduire la quantité d’eau introduite en renforçant la cohésion de l’isolant, et l’ajout d’additifs permettant de modifier la tension de surface pour faciliter le départ de l’eau. Les additifs biosourcés potentiels ont été caractérisés à différentes concentrations et classés selon leur viscosité et leur pouvoir collant. Malheureusement plusieurs additifs ont dû être rejeté car ils présentaient un couple « propriété adhésive/pompabilité » non adapté. Une gamme de tensioactifs a également été testée par rapport à leurs tensions de surface. Les formulations pompables ont étés caractérisées par rapport à leurs temps de séchage, résistance en compression et conductivité thermique. Les additifs qui ont montré des contributions positives sur le séchage sont les lignosulfonates et le tensioactif cationique CTAB. L’influence de ces deux additifs a ensuite été étudiée avec un modèle numérique à travers le logiciel WUFI en prenant en compte l’impact sur le séchage, la météo, le dosage liquide et l’épaisseur de l’isolant. Les conditions optimales ont été définies. Le lignosulfonate s’est avéré être l’additif le plus efficace. Une première évaluation de la performance des nouveaux isolants en termes de résistance au feu et à la moisissure a été réalisée et des indications pour la suite de l’étude ont été proposées. / Cellulose insulation is manufactured from recycled paper fibres, treated with mineral additives acting as flame retardants and antifungals. Its consistency is similar to cotton wool. The fibres are sold in bulk to be blown into the walls and attics. Its thermal conductivity is around 0.04 W/m.K, which is comparable to glass wool, but it is made with recycled materials and has much lower embodied energy levels. It can be either blown dry or sprayed with water. The wet spray method for cellulose insulation has several benefits compared to the dry process. Since the cellulose fibres become rigid after drying, it prevents the compaction of the material thus avoiding thermal bridges in the building envelope. However, the time to reach the dry state may be very long and variable depending on the dosage used and the environmental conditions of application. There are many bio-based additives that can contribute to the reduction of this period and improve the cohesion of the material. This research project aims to find the optimal additive for this application while retaining the favourable properties of the insulating material. Two cellulose types have been characterized with regards to the properties of the fibres to determine their performance with water. Both samples showed differences in chemical composition, grain size, and morphology. The values of water retention, water adsorption isotherms and the proportions of free and bound water have been factors which have shown an influence on the drying of the insulation. Density, compressive strength, and thermal conductivity increased with moisture dosage. A minimum of 14 kPa for the compression module was defined as the resistance threshold to avoid settling. These properties were compared with those of the cellulose insulation compacted to dryness and the results showed the strong influence of the stiffening and pore closing process upon drying, on these properties. Potential bio-based additives were classified and characterized with regards between concentration, viscosity, and adhesive strength. A relationship between these parameters was established. Most showed Newtonian behaviour at low concentrations, with some non- Newtonian concentrations having a pumpable viscosity. Unfortunately several additives which showed good adhesive properties were too viscous and vice versa. A range of surfactants were also considered. Sprayable formulations were characterized with respect to their drying time, compressive strength and thermal conductivity. Additives which have shown positive contributions drying are the lignosulfonate and the cationic surfactant CTAB. The influence of these additives on drying, with varying weather, liquid dosage and thickness of insulation was defined with a numerical model through the WUFI software. Optimal conditions in which the lignosulfonate additive is more effective have been defined. A first assessment of the performance of new formulation in terms of fire and mould was made and indications for the continuation of the study of the material were formalized.

Amorphous materials are found in pharmaceutical formulations both as excipients and active ingredients. Indeed, these formulations are becoming an essential strategy for incorporating drugs into well-performing solid dosage forms. However, there is an unmet need of better understanding of the microstructure and component interactions in amorphous formulations to be able to design materials with improved functionalities. The aim of this thesis is to give deepened knowledge about structure-mobility-functionality relationships in amorphous for-mulations by studying composites produced from sugars and filler particles. The structure, the mobility, and physical stability of the composite materials were studied using calorimetry, X-ray diffraction, microscopy, spectroscopy, and molecular dynamics simulations. Further, the moisture sorption of the composites was determined with dynamic vapor sorption. The compression mechanics of the composites was evaluated with compression analysis. It was demonstrated that fillers change the overall properties of the amorphous material. Specifically, the physical stability of the composite was by far improved compared to the amorphous sugar alone. This effect was pronounced for formulations with 60 wt% filler content or more. Amorphous lactose that normally recrystallizes within a few minutes upon humidity exposure, could withstand recrystallization for several months at 60% RH in composites with 80 wt% cellulose nanocrystals (CNC) or sodium montmorillonite (Na-MMT). The increased physical stability of the amorphous sugars was related to intra-particle confinement in extra-particle voids formed by the fillers and to immobilization of the amorphous phase at the surface of the fillers. Also, the composite formation led to increased particle hardness for the lactose/CNC and the lactose/Na-MMT nanocomposites. The largest effect on particle hardness was seen with 40-60 wt% nanofiller and could be related to skeleton formation of the nanofillers within the composite particles. The hygroscopicity for the lactose/Na-MMT nanocomposites decreased as much as 47% compared to ideal simple mixtures of the neat components. The nanofillers did not influence the water sorption capacity in the amorphous domains; however, lactose (intercalated into Na-MMT) interacted with the sodium ions in the interlayer space which led to the lowered hygroscopicity of this phase. The thesis advanced the knowledge of the microstructure of amorphous pharmaceutical com-posites and its relationship with pharmaceutical functionalities. It also presented new approaches for stabilizing the amorphous state by using fillers. The concept illustrated here might be used to understand similar phenomena of stabilization of amorphous formulations.

<p>Wood plastic composite (WPC) materials have seen a continuous market growth worldwide in the last decade. So-called extruded WPC profiles are today mainly used in outdoor applications, e.g. decking, railing and fencing. In outdoor conditions, moisture sorption in the wood component combined with temperature induced movements of the polymer matrix causes deformations of such composites. On the macroscopic scale this may lead to unacceptable warp, cup and bow of the WPC products, but on a microscopic scale, the movements will cause interfacial cracks between the particles and the matrix, resulting in little or no ability to transfer and re-distribute loads throughout the material. Moisture within the composite will also allow fungi and micro organisms to attack the wood particles.</p><p>The conceptual idea of this work is to use a chemically modified wood component in WPCs to enhance their long term performance. These chemically modified wood particles exhibit reduced susceptibility to moisture, resulting in better dimensional stability and a higher resistance to biological degradation as compared to that of unmodified wood. The objective of this thesis is to study the effects of using modified wood in WPCs on their moisture sorption behaviour, micromorphology and microbiological durability. The modification methods used were acetylation, heat treatment and furfurylation.</p><p>Equilibrium moisture content (EMC) and sorption behaviour of WPCs were determined by water vapour sorption experiments. The use of thin sections of the composites enabled EMC to be reached within a comparably short time span. The micromorphology was studied by LV-SEM (low vacuum-scanning electron microscope) using a specially designed sample preparation technique based on UV laser. The biological durability was evaluated by laboratory fungal test methods.</p><p>The moisture sorption experiments showed lower moisture levels for all the composites when modified wood particles were used. This was also reflected in the micromorphological studies where pronounced wood-plastic interfacial cracks were formed due to moisture movement in the composites with unmodified wood particles. The sample preparation technique by UV laser proved to be a powerful tool for preparing surfaces for micromorphological studies without adding mechanical defects caused by the sample preparation technique itself. Results from the durability test showed that WPCs with modified wood particles are highly resistant to decay by fungi.</p>

Wood plastic composite (WPC) materials have seen a continuous market growth worldwide in the last decade. So-called extruded WPC profiles are today mainly used in outdoor applications, e.g. decking, railing and fencing. In outdoor conditions, moisture sorption in the wood component combined with temperature induced movements of the polymer matrix causes deformations of such composites. On the macroscopic scale this may lead to unacceptable warp, cup and bow of the WPC products, but on a microscopic scale, the movements will cause interfacial cracks between the particles and the matrix, resulting in little or no ability to transfer and re-distribute loads throughout the material. Moisture within the composite will also allow fungi and micro organisms to attack the wood particles. The conceptual idea of this work is to use a chemically modified wood component in WPCs to enhance their long term performance. These chemically modified wood particles exhibit reduced susceptibility to moisture, resulting in better dimensional stability and a higher resistance to biological degradation as compared to that of unmodified wood. The objective of this thesis is to study the effects of using modified wood in WPCs on their moisture sorption behaviour, micromorphology and microbiological durability. The modification methods used were acetylation, heat treatment and furfurylation. Equilibrium moisture content (EMC) and sorption behaviour of WPCs were determined by water vapour sorption experiments. The use of thin sections of the composites enabled EMC to be reached within a comparably short time span. The micromorphology was studied by LV-SEM (low vacuum-scanning electron microscope) using a specially designed sample preparation technique based on UV laser. The biological durability was evaluated by laboratory fungal test methods. The moisture sorption experiments showed lower moisture levels for all the composites when modified wood particles were used. This was also reflected in the micromorphological studies where pronounced wood-plastic interfacial cracks were formed due to moisture movement in the composites with unmodified wood particles. The sample preparation technique by UV laser proved to be a powerful tool for preparing surfaces for micromorphological studies without adding mechanical defects caused by the sample preparation technique itself. Results from the durability test showed that WPCs with modified wood particles are highly resistant to decay by fungi. / QC 20101116