Polyethylene glycol (PEG) and silica sol were used to improve the dimension stability and hydrophobicity of wood with different moisture contents (MC after oven drying, air drying: 10–12% and steam conditioning: 38–40%) via 24 h immersion treatment. The water in wood served as a medium for helping PEG diffusion into cell wall, resulting in a better dimensional stability for 38–40% MC wood. PEG impregnation could improve the dimensional stability but decrease the surface hydrophobicity due to its moisture affinity. PEG concentration (10, 20, and 30 wt.%) showed little influence on water contact angles (WCA) of treated wood. Silica sol impregnation could improve the dimensional stability and WCA. It was ascribed to the -OH consumption and filling effect in wood caused by silica sol networks. After combination treatment (one-step or two-step method), PEG and silica sol could provide a synergistic effect on improving dimensional stability and hydrophobicity of wood owing to the bulking effect and filling effect, respectively. In one-step method, as a lubricant and bulking agent, PEG could improve the ductility of the film formed by stiff silica via Si–O–Si cross-linked sol in wood. Moreover, the decreased surface hardness and compression strength of PEG treated wood were compensated by silica incorporation.

通过24小时浸泡处理，使用聚乙二醇（PEG）和硅溶胶来改善具有不同水分含量（干燥后的MC，风干：10–12％和蒸汽调节：38–40％）的木材的尺寸稳定性和疏水性。木材中的水用作帮助PEG扩散到细胞壁的介质，从而使38-40％的MC木材具有更好的尺寸稳定性。PEG浸渍可以改善尺寸稳定性，但由于其湿润亲和力而降低了表面疏水性。PEG浓度（10、20和30 wt。％）对处理过的木材的水接触角（WCA）几乎没有影响。硅溶胶的浸渍可以改善尺寸稳定性和WCA。这归因于二氧化硅溶胶网络引起的木材中-OH的消耗和填充效应。经过组合处理（一步或两步方法）后，PEG和硅溶胶分别由于填充效果和填充效果，可以在改善木材的尺寸稳定性和疏水性方面发挥协同作用。一步法，PEG作为润滑剂和填充剂，可以改善由硬硅石通过Si-O-Si交联溶胶在木材中形成的薄膜的延展性。而且，通过掺入二氧化硅可以补偿经PEG处理的木材的降低的表面硬度和抗压强度。