Controlled release of biocides in solid wood. III. Preparation and characterization of surfactant-free nanoparticles

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

10-17-2002

Department

Department of Chemistry; College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science

Abstract

Polymeric nanoparticles containing the fungicides tebuconazole and chlorothalonil were prepared by a simple, surfactant-free method and found to have significantly smaller median particle diameters and more stable aqueous suspensions than their surfactant-stabilized counterparts. These more stable suspensions were delivered into southern yellow pine and birch wood with greater efficiency than the equivalent surfactant-stabilized nanoparticle suspensions. We found that the suspensions protected the treated wood against fungal attack by Gloeophyllum trabeum, a common brown rot wood decay fungus, and Trametes versicolor, a common white rot wood decay fungus, at low tebuconazole and chlorothalonil contents in the wood. Southern pine lost 5% or less of its mass after 55 days of exposure to G. trabeum when the tebuconazole or chlorothalonil content in the wood was only 0.4 kg/m3, while a tebuconazole or chlorothalonil content of 0.8 kg/m3 in birch wood was sufficient to bring its mass loss to less than 5% after 55 days of exposure to T. versicolor.

Publication Title

Journal of Applied Polymer Science

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