Wood Functional Modification Based on Deposition of Nanometer Copper Film by Magnetron Sputtering

Abstract It can be helpful for selected applications to improve the functionality of wood by compounding nano-metal materials with wood, endowing the wood surface with certain physical properties, for example, metallicity, electrical conductivity, and hydrophobicity. Therefore, in this study, a thin copper film was deposited on the surface of Pinus sylvestris L. var. mongholica Litv. veneer by magnetron sputtering. The film was applied at both room temperature and 200°C to obtain nano-copper–wood composites. The physical properties of wood-based nano-metal composites were characterized. The results indicated that the wood veneer metallization had no effect on the crystallization zone of wood; there were still wood cellulose characteristic peaks, but the intensity of the diffraction peak decreased. At the same time, there were characteristic diffraction peaks of copper. The mechanical properties of the wood veneer surface changed greatly; the surface of copper-plated wood veneer had good electrical conductivity and the wettability of the wood surface transformed from hydrophilic to hydrophobic. When the base temperature was 200°C, not only was the sheet resistance of the sample with coating time of 15 minutes about 4.6 times that of the sheet resistance of the sample at room temperature, but also the quality of the copper film on the wood surface was better than that at room temperature. The copper film was mainly composed of small particles with a compact arrangement.