Antimicrobial TMSAC-added wood-inorganic composites prepared by the sol-gel process

One of the antimicrobial alkoxysilanes, 3-(trimethoxysilyl) propyl dimethyl octadecyl ammonium chloride (TMSAC), was applied to the sol-gel reaction to prepare the antimicrobial wood-inorganic composites from tetraethoxysilane (TEOS). The obtained TMSAC-SiO2 composites revealed some antimicrobial activities, but the use of the property-enhancer, 2-heptadecafluorooctylethyltrimethoxysilane (HFOETMOS) in a small quantity could provide water-repellency to the composites which has, further, improved its activities against both white-rot and brown-rot fungi. In addition, after a prolonged soil burial test, TMSAC woods have lost antimicrobial properties, whereas the TMSAC-SiO2, particularly, HFOETMOS-(TMSAC-SiO2) composites could have its high activities maintained. Therefore, it may be concluded that HFOETMOS-(TMSAC-SiO2) and TMSAC-SiO2 composites can provide sustainably high antimicrobial properties in wood.