Deposition of TiO2 Thin Films on Wood Substrate by an Air Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Jet

In the present work, titanium dioxide (TiO2) coatings were deposited on wood surfaces by an atmospheric pressure plasma jet using titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP) as a precursor to improve the wood’s stability against ultraviolet (UV) light and its moisture resistance capability. The surface topology and morphology of the wood specimens were observed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Surface chemical compositions of the specimens were characterized by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. The wettability of the coated wood was investigated by measuring the sessile contact angle. SEM and AFM showed the presence of small globules of TiO2 with some areas agglomerated on the coated wood surface. The coated surface roughness increased with increasing deposition time. FTIR analysis showed the existence of a Ti–O–Ti band at 800–400 cm−1 on the coated wood surfaces. The results obtained from FTIR were confirmed by XPS measurements. The hydrophilic wood surfaces were transformed to become hydrophobic or superhydrophobic after coating with TiO2, depending on the deposition parameters. The changes of colour during UV-exposure for both uncoated and coated wood specimens were measured using the CIELab colour system. The TiO2 coated wood became more resistant to colour change after UV radiation exposure than did untreated wood.