Abstract Fast-growing wood is an abundant and low-cost material and is widely used for structural building and furniture construction. However, inferior mechanical properties and dimensional instability limit its application in advanced engineering structures. Herein, we developed a simple, effective and “green” method to transform bulk poplar into a high-performance wood composite. The wood composite was prepared by the impregnation of the itaconic acid (IA) solution acting as a grafting anchor into the wood matrix, followed by in situ polymerization of styrene upon heating to form a hydrophobic polymer within the wood scaffold. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) analysis revealed that hydrophobic polystyrene (PS) was deposited in wood cell walls and lumens, leading to a reduced water uptake and remarkably enhanced dimensional stability, as well as generally improved mechanical properties. In addition, the PS generated improvement in the thermal stability of the wood composite in comparison with that of natural wood (W).

中文翻译：

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一种构建具有优异尺寸稳定性的木复合材料的有效技术

摘要 速生木材是一种储量丰富且成本低廉的材料，广泛用于结构建筑和家具建造。然而，较差的力学性能和尺寸不稳定性限制了其在先进工程结构中的应用。在此，我们开发了一种简单、有效且“绿色”的方法，将大块杨树转化为高性能木材复合材料。木材复合材料是通过将作为接枝锚的衣康酸 (IA) 溶液浸渍到木材基质中，然后在加热时原位聚合苯乙烯以在木材支架内形成疏水聚合物来制备的。扫描电子显微镜 (SEM) 分析表明，疏水性聚苯乙烯 (PS) 沉积在木材细胞壁和内腔中，导致吸水率降低，尺寸稳定性显着增强，以及普遍改善的机械性能。此外，与天然木材 (W) 相比，PS 提高了木材复合材料的热稳定性。